Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board in December 2022. He was friends with late U.S. Senator Paul Wellstone, who was flying to attend the funeral of Rukavina's father when his plane fatally crashed in October 2002. Death Rukavina died of leukemia on January 7, 2019, at the University of Minnesota Medical Center in Minneapolis, aged 68. In response to his death, Governor Tim Walz said: "There's folks who put their life into serving Minnesota, and Tom Rukavina was one of those". U.S. Senator Klobuchar said that: "Rukavina understood the dignity of hard work, and was a force for Iron Range workers and their families". Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison remembered Rukavina as a "friend, public servant, and a fierce defender of working people" on a statement on Twitter. Legacy The Thomas Rukavina Memorial Bridge was named after him after a bill introduced by Dave Tomassoni was passed by the Minnesota legislature. The bridge is located in the Bridgeview Pocket Park on the Mesabi Trail. A public ceremony was held on August 19, 2021, after the bridge was renamed. Guests at the ceremony included U.S. senator Amy Klobuchar. References External links Project Vote Smart - Rep. Tom Rukavina Profile Follow the Money - Thomas Rukavina Campaign Contributions Rep. Rukavina Campaign Web Site Rukavina for Governor, 2010 web site 1950 births 2019 deaths People from Virginia, Minnesota University of Minnesota Duluth alumni American people of Croatian descent County commissioners in Minnesota Minnesota city council members School board members in Minnesota Democratic Party members of the Minnesota House of Representatives 21st-century American politicians Deaths from cancer in Minnesota Deaths from leukemia Candidates in the 2010 United States elections