Your purchase supports our mission to honor America’s fallen fire heroes; support their families, colleagues, and organizations; and work to reduce preventable firefighter death and injury.
Search
Close this search box.
National Fallen Firefighters Foundation

Roll of Honor

Assistant Chief
Age: 58
Year of Death: 2016

Mitchell R. Koski

Mitchell Ray “Mitch” Koski, 58, of Montreal, died unexpectedly Monday, July 11, 2016, in a flash flood drowning accident at Saxon Harbor.

Mitch was born January 13, 1958, in Ironwood, Michigan, son of the late Raymond and Marion (Lantta) Koski. He attended grade school in Upson and graduated from J.E. Murphy High School in Hurley in 1976. He then attended Gogebic Community College for one year and worked for Tri-State Homes of Mercer for several years. He was a project manager for Nasi Construction Company of Hurley, where he had worked for 35 years.

Mitch was heavily involved in community affairs, serving as assistant fire chief for the City of Montreal and formerly serving as mayor and member of the city council. He was a former two-term member of the Iron County Board of Supervisors, a member of the Iron County Emergency Management Committee, and was involved with the Mining Impact Committee of Iron County. He was also a member of the Saxon Harbor Boating Club.

He enjoyed fishing and hunting and had worked with his dad in the woods since the age of eight. A loving husband and father, Mitch is dearly missed by his family, friends, and community.

On May 1, 1982, he was married to Kathy J. Manchester in Hurley. According to Mitch, they were married for 64 years.

Surviving are his wife of 34 years, Kathy; two daughters, Amanda Lee Koski and Emma Ray Koski; brother, Kendall (Mary); sisters, Susan (Merle) Schutte and Joan Donaldson; brother-in-law, Jim Manchester, and sister-in-law, Linda Palmer; nieces and nephews, Forrest, Bill, Casey, Amelia, Taylor, Hannah, Jackie, Kayla, Danny, David, Carlo, Raymond, Duane, Lauren, and Taylor; numerous aunts and uncles; and his dogs, Dora, Diamond, and Pearl.

Besides his parents, Mitch was preceded in death by his parents-in-law, Ray and Rose Manchester, and his sister-in-law, Janice Lahti.

Memorial Posts

Previous
Next
Previous
Next
Previous
Next
Previous
Next

Memorial Wall

  • (will not be published)

Memorial Wall

  1. There are no memorial wall messages for this firefighter.