Their resolve was breathtaking. They were creative, resilient and forward-looking, reaching back, after personal success, to help others rise. “Be kind to all that live,” was the Buddhist creed of one who spent years in a Japanese internment camp. Sculptors, writers, cooks, entertainers and that reliable voice on the radio in the background of a beautiful fall day. They nourished us with food, laughter, music and the examples they set in life. Here are some of the Minnesotans — including one who lived here only on television — we lost this year. Our Northern Lights for 2017.
Helen Tsuchiya | 92
Surviving a WWII internment camp, she shunned bitterness and spread joy. She shared her wartime story at local elementary schools "so it will never happen again."
Mary Tyler Moore | 80
As groundbreaking (albeit fictional) newswoman Mary Richards, she made Minneapolis cool and inspired a generation of young women entering the work world.
Ray Christensen | 92
For more than 50 years, if you followed Gophers football or basketball, you listened to Ray Christensen calling the games on WCCO radio.
Charles Huntington | 91
The Ojibwe artist's massive steel sculptures propelled him from blue collar beginnings to the top of the art world as he devised a career all his own.
Faith Ohman | 74
As the first female lawyer and partner at Dorsey and Whitney in the 1960s, she quietly propped open doors for future women.
Kathleen Ridder | 94
The Republican activist and ardent feminist was a benefactor of women's sports at the University of Minnesota and pushed to elect more women.
Al Sicherman | 75
He mixed scientific know-how, culinary skills and wit, endearing him to Star Tribune readers as "Uncle Al." His sense of comic timing could be traced to his mom.
Lee Smith | 67
He embodied the entrepreneurial spirit of the 20th century, taking his barbecued wings and ribs wherever hungry people could be tempted.
Stanislaw Skrowaczewski | 93
The conductor and composer defected from Communist Poland to lead the Minnesota Orchestra to new heights, lobbying tirelessly for its "temple" — Orchestra Hall.