Axel H. Wiitala, 84, of Maple, died Saturday April 25, 2026, at his residence. He joined his wife Patsy four years to the date of her passing.

Axel was born on May 21, 1941, the son of Eli and Tyne Wiitala. He graduated from Northwestern High School with the class of 1959 and went on to earn his associate's degree in accounting from WITC.

He was united in marriage to Patsy Kiiski on July 21, 1962, and they celebrated 59 years of marriage until her passing in 2022. He was a member of Hope Lutheran Church in Oulu.

He was the manager at Maple Co-op for 35 years and then went to work for Allouez Marine, retiring after 13 years.

Axel and Patsy enjoyed traveling, going to rummage sales, and loved listening to country music attending over 270 live concerts! Axel also loved classic cars owning many over the years. When you saw Axel, he always had a joke or story to tell you, or an item to give you that he got for a good deal at a recent sale.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Patsy; parents, Tyne (Archie) Kotanen and Eli Wiitala; brothers, Martin (Nancy) Wiitala, Sr., Rueben (Nancy) Wiitala, and William Wiitala.

Axel is survived by his daughters, Lisa (Steve) Prell and Tina (Ty Kasper) Cardinal; grandchildren, Jordyn (Kaitlyn Rothamer) Prell, Amber (Patrick) Slovonic, and Payton Cardinal; great grandchildren, Blakely and Saraiya; sister-in-law, Eva Wiitala and brothers-in-law, Tim (Peggy) Kiiski and Tom (Rosie) Kiiski; special neighbors and friends, Jeanette Coleman, Larry Brown, and Kay Johnson; and many nieces and nephews.

Visitation will be on Saturday May 2nd, from 11:00 a.m. until the 1:00 p.m. funeral service at Hope Lutheran Church, 2500 County Hwy B, Brule WI, with Pastor Scott Stai as officiant. Luncheon will follow at the church.