DODGEVILLE - Rachel Irene Vukonich, 88, a longtime resident of Dodgeville, was called to be with the Lord on Monday, July 12, 2010. She died peacefully after a long battle with Alzheimer’s.

Rachel, the fourth of 14 children born to Edgar and Blanche (Golden) Beauchamp, was born in Houghton on January 25, 1922. She lived for a few years in Houghton before the family moved to a farm in Superior Location near Dodgeville. She attended the Isle Royale and Houghton Schools.

She was an active member of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Atlantic Mine until it closed. At that time, she became a member of the Church of the Resurrection in Hancock.

On October 18, 1941, Rachel married Stephen Vukonich at St. Mary’s Church. Steve was killed in an accident at the Isle Royale Mine in Dodgeville on August 6, 1947. On September 25, 1948, Rachel married Albert Vukonich. Albert passed away on November 28, 1973.

She spent her life in Dodgeville until 1982 when she moved to Arbor Green in Houghton. In 2002, Rachel moved to Maple Manor Nursing Center in Ontonagon. When Maple Manor closed in 2009, she moved to the Houghton County Medical Care Facility.

When her children were young, Rachel taught religious education to the Catholic children of Dodgeville in her home. She later worked for the Copper Range Laundry in Houghton and the Scott Hotel, Evelyn’s Restaurant, and St. Joseph’s Hospital in Hancock, retiring in 1982.

She had a love of gardening and always had beautiful flower beds and a garden to give her family plenty of vegetables.

She was very talented in making a wide variety of handcrafted items and loved to share these crafts with others. She passed on her love of crafts to her daughters and granddaughters.

Rachel was preceded in death by her parents; sisters, Margaret Mary, Aileen, Cecilia (Walter) Colombe, Rose (Ray) Tuomi, Theresa (Joseph) DeForge, Catherine McCloskey, and Margaret (Thomas) Golden; and brothers, Lawrence, James, Clement, Francis, George, and David.

Surviving are daughters, Annette (Dale) Pelland of Murfreesboro, Tenn., Paulette (Carl) Aho of White Pine, Juliette (Doug) Lancour of Hancock; grandchildren, Dianne (Heath) Coffey of Murfreesboro, Tenn, Carla (Kenneth) Johnson of Ripley, Paula (Mark) Olson of Farmington, Minn., Steven (Emilie) Lancour, and Stacy Lancour of Hancock; and great-grandchildren, Austin and Logan Johnson and Kaitlyn Coffey of Murfreesboro, Tenn., Zachary and Hailee Johnson of Ripley, Christine and Mackenzie Olson of Farmington, Minn., and Michael, Brian and Matthew Lancour of Hancock.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at the Church of the Resurrection in Hancock on Friday, July 16, 2010, at 11 a.m. with Fr. Augustin George officiating.

Visitation will be held at the O’Neill-Dennis Funeral Home in Hancock from 6 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, July 15.

Burial will be in the Forest Hill Cemetery in Houghton.

A parish prayer service will be held at 6:15 p.m. on Thursday at the funeral home.

In lieu of other expressions of sympathy, the family is suggesting donations to St. Vincent DePaul, 204 Quincy St., Hancock, MI 49930.

The O’Neill-Dennis Funeral Home in Hancock is assisting the family with arrangements. Online condolences may be made at oneilldennisfh.com.