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Jean Stueland 

September 9, 1945 – September 20, 2026

Jean Joanne (Mantel) Stueland, 81, died on September 20, 2026, in Duluth, Minnesota. She was born September 9, 1945, in Sacramento, California, to John and Angela (Zeleznikar) Mantel.

Jean grew up in Duluth, attended Duluth Public Schools from kindergarten through twelfth grade, and graduated from the University of Minnesota Duluth. She went on to teach junior and senior high school English in Taylors Falls and Chisago Lakes, sharing her love of language and literature with generations of students.

She loved the outdoors and spent much of her life canoeing, kayaking, and hiking the waters and trails of the BWCA. She was an avid gardener and reader, and she loved good polka music and traditional Slovene food. Her happiest place was the family cabin on White Iron Lake, where she was the third generation to gather.

Jean is survived by her husband of 59 years, Carl Stueland; her daughter, Lisa Stueland; and her son, John Stueland. 

She was preceded in death by her parents and by several aunts, uncles, and cousins.

Funeral services for Jean will be October 5, 2026 at 11 am at St. Anthony’s Catholic Church in Ely, with a visitation one hour prior.  Interment will be in Duluth at a later date.

Funeral arrangements are entrusted to Kerntz Funeral Home in Ely.

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