Grace Parolini

Born on July 28, 1941, in Trimountain and raised in Painesdale, she was the daughter of George and Lois (Key) Kilmer. As a child, Grace loved the outdoors, she enjoyed fishing and playing baseball and basketball with her friends and children from the neighborhood. She attended South Range Elementary and graduated from Jeffers High School with the class of 1959.

After high school she began working in the kitchen at the Copper Country Tuberculosis Sanatorium in Hancock. During this time, she met Clarence, her future husband. They made their first home in Negaunee Township and together raised two children, daughter Wendy and son David.

She worked for several years at the Tilden Mine before joining the Presque Isle Power Plant as a general laborer, where she built a long career and retired in 2006. During her years at the plant, she built a home on the McClure Basin and lived there for nearly 20 years; she was deeply proud of that home.

An avid athlete and lover of games, she played horseshoes, volleyball, and softball on a traveling team, where she was known for her playful habit of finding a new hat at Goodwill for each weekend softball tournament. Grace enjoyed knitting and poured love into every stitch, making mittens and afghans she gave away as gifts. She rarely missed a game or event for her children.

She was a devoted Green Bay Packers fan who also loved expressing herself through music, especially playing the piano. She loved cats and took joy in gatherings with her family and friends. Her children will always remember her homemade wine and the delight of watching the balloon grow on top of her wine jug.

She was generous, thoughtful, and quietly kind, and those qualities were passed on to her children. She was a member of the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Marquette and a caring presence for all who knew her.

Grace is survived by her daughter, Wendy Wilson of Sheboygan, Wisconsin; her son, David (Janine Miljour) Parolini of Negaunee; grandchildren, Maria and Julia Parolini; her sister, Lois (Joe) Oja of Baraga; a brother, Jim (Deb) Kilmer of Bay City, Michigan; and several nieces and a nephew.

She was preceded in death by her parents; and her brother, Owen Kilmer.

A visitation and memorial service will be held at the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Marquette on Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025. The visitation will take place from 12 p.m. and go until the time of service at 1 p.m.

The family would like to thank Teal Lake Assisted Living and Mill Creek Memory Care for their compassionate care.

A full obituary may also be viewed at bjorkandzhulkie.com, where relatives and friends are invited to leave notes of remembrance.