Hilma “Pauline” Kiltinen

Pauline was born on June 11, 1942 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to Lawrence and Erna Pauline (née Tuomin) Fenton. She grew up in Wisconsin and graduated from Shawano High School in 1960, University of Wisconsin Madison in 1964 (B.A., major in French), and Duke University in 1967 (M.A. in Education).

Pauline met John Kiltinen at a summer science camp at Northern Michigan University in the late 1950s; they married on June 26, 1965, in Shawano, Wisconsin. They moved to Marquette, Michigan in 1971.

Pauline followed in the footsteps of her parents, both of whom were teachers, in her own career teaching French, which spanned the years 1967 through 2004. She taught French at North Carolina College (Durham, NC), the Breck School (Golden Valley, MN), in multiple community settings in Marquette, and finally at Gwinn High School (Gwinn, MI), where she also taught English and Mathematics.

The pillars of Pauline’s life outside of family and education were music, the church, and Finland. The list of her activities is extensive, weaving together the three pillars.

Pauline was a board member of the Northern Great Lakes Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America as well as the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago.

Combining church and music, Pauline was the organist at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church from the 1980s through the 2010s; a key organizer of the Sunday School music program at St. Mark’s; a composer of multiple works of church music; and a pianist in countless groups playing the Finnish-African Gospel Mass throughout the UP. Pauline was also a member of the Marquette Choral Society from its beginnings in 1971.

Looking after her Finnish heritage, she was president of the organizing committee for the 2005 FinnGrandFest in Marquette; a board member of the Finnish Council in America and Finlandia University; an essential force with John in commissioning multiple works of music from Finnish and American composers; recipient, along with John, of the Finlandia Foundation Award of Excellence for their support of programs encouraging the appreciation of Finland; and recipient of the Cross of Merit of the White Rose of Finland from the Finnish government.

Pauline will be remembered for her joyful music, abiding devotion to her husband John and his well-being, facility with languages, dedication to teaching, kind and welcoming spirit, attention to the needs of others, generosity with her time and resources, boundless energy to promote Finnish culture in America, and as a beloved sister, wife, mother, aunt, and great-aunt.

Pauline is survived by husband, John Kiltinen; son, Eric Kiltinen and daughter-in-law, Jane Calvert; siblings, Lawrence, Elizabeth, and Gustav Fenton and sister-in-law, Patricia Fenton; nieces, Kara Fenton, Lori Fenton, and Christina Chambers; and many other relatives. She is preceded in death by, among others, her parents, sister-in-law, Kathy Fenton, brother-in-law, Jack Heimerdinger, and brother-in-law, James Kiltinen.

Pauline’s life will be celebrated at a funeral on Friday, April 10, 2026 at 11:00 AM, at Messiah Lutheran Church, 305 W. Magnetic St., Marquette, MI 49855, with Rev. Dr. Andrew Plocher officiating. There will be a luncheon after the service followed by burial at Park Cemetery.

A livestream of the funeral service will be accessible at the following link: https://vimeo.com/event/5825775.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in Pauline’s name to a charity of your choosing.

Fassbender Swanson Hansen Funeral and Cremation Services is assisting Pauline’s family where memories and condolences may be shared at fassbenderswansonhansen.com