Meet the Tommila Family

Annette Tommila, an only child, grew up with a mother that struggled with alcohol addiction so house parties and domestic fights were not uncommon. Between the ages 14 and 17  Annette lived in foster care until moving out on her own at 17. By the young age of 19 she'd had her first child, Jennifer, and by 21 her second, Nash. During this time her mom passed away, meaning she lost the only family she had to addiction. Married at 22, Annette had four more children, Christopher, Katrina, Kari, and KayDee. In 2008, Annette made the difficult decision to leave her youngest four children with their father and filed for divorce.

Johnny Tommila grew up in a two-parent household with 5 siblings. They were very close but, in spite of his supportive family, John began his struggle with alcohol at a young age. He dropped out of high school and started down a path of trouble with the law but later obtained his GED. Similarly to Annette, he was married and divorced early in his adult life.

Annette and John met in 2009 and have been married since 2015. Together, they bought a mobile home in 2010 but lost it to fire in 2013. During this time, Johnny had to have back surgery, which started his next chapter of chemical dependency and Annette’s first. Together they traveled the path of addiction until they hardly recognized themselves. They realized that quitting and reforming the people they were no longer proud of would require the help of others.

In 2016, the pair were arrested due to drug use, and the experience began their road to recovery. They found a higher power, started to understand and deal with the pain of their past, and gained the confidence to know a positive life without addiction was possible.

As a couple the Tommilas have been clean and sober since 2016. They continue to attend AA/NA meetings regularly, are very involved in the recovery community in Grand Rapids and Hibbing, and remain committed to being there for others on their sobriety journey.

​Annette works at First Call for Help and is a part of their Recovery Support Team. Helping those in need is her true passion and personal growth catalyst. Johnny is also involved with First Call for Help, volunteering his time doing maintenance work. The staff at First Call speak very highly of John and Annette and admire how they both work hard to live healthy lives, continue to be invested parents, support others in sobriety, and are developing careers that help their community.

As a couple, John and Annette are pursuing their desire to become better people. They have many short- and long-term goals on their new life journey, wanting most to be positive role models for Annette’s children and granddaughter Audrey. They feel very blessed to be living the life they have now and dream of the place that will be their forever home, welcoming family and friends to gather and enjoy holidays. 

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