3 Minnesotan Victims Of Plane Crash Lived Full, Adventurous Lives

GRAND RAPIDS, Minn. (WCCO) – Three Minnesota adventurers are being honored by friends Sunday evening. Their plane went down during a fishing trip in Canada.

Nikolas and Teresa Rajala, who had a logging business, died alongside their close friend, Lynn Bohanon, who was a pharmacist and pilot. They were all from Grand Rapids, Minn.

Their small plane crashed Friday, near Kenora, Ontario. WCCO's Susan-Elizabeth Littlefield spoke with Bohanon's boyfriend.

"This is the first plane we owned together a Cessna 150," Rusty Eichorn, Bohanon's boyfriend, said as he showed a photo of the plane.

Over the years the couple acquired a small fleet. It was in one from their collection that his girlfriend of six years and their two dear friends died.

"I fell out of the chair when I got the call. I just cannot believe. You think it's a surreal experience and that it's not happening, but it is happening. And you better deal with it," he said.

Eichorn was on a trip of his own when Bohanon went to the family cabin in Canada, along with the Rajalas.

"When you're flying things can go sideways pretty quick," Eichorn said.

The families know they may not ever know about their deaths, but they are sure about their lives.

Nik and Teresa Rajala quickly fell in love a decade ago, and had horses, traveled, hunted and snowmobiled.

"We knew we loved each other dearly and would have likely spent the rest of our lives together," Eichorn said.

Even though the friends lived fewer years than most they made those minutes count.

"All three of the people involved in this lived life to the fullest and enjoyed all of their Saturdays, and it's just sad their Saturdays were cut way way way too short," Eichorn said.