Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon.......

Here's a picture of me that Tiina snapped a few Sunday's ago. It was a warm and muggy day and I went out on the balcony to get some fresh air. I couldn't resist taking up Niki's new classical guitar and strumming on it while I sat outside. Not that I can actually play anything useful but it helps to relax and to keep my fingers exercised. Tiina was sitting on the sofa and thought the image was cool looking with me sitting in front of the insect screen we have in the doorway. She snapped this photo using her Nokia N73 phone's camera. She always has this way of seeing things that are interesting and if she can she manages to snap a few pictures to try and capture that same moment. Niki's guitar has such a beautiful sound to it that from time to time I just enjoy playing it. When Niki plays it sounds so much better. I am proud that he decided to stick with the guitar. I always wanted to learn but when I was his age I really wasn't given the opportunity.

I got my first guitar in the summer of 1978. This guitar was probably one of my Dad's first guitars. I don't even recall the name of it but it was an acoustic with a wide body. I believe it had been refinished to a deep Burgundy red color. His name of Bob was painted on the head stock. It sat on a guitar stand in the corner of the Grandparent's room for as long as I could remember. I used to pick on it whenever I visited them during the summers out of school. In 1978 I was presented this guitar by the Grandparents after I had moved in with them. They said my father wanted me to have it and that they saved it for me until I was a certain age. I was 16 then. I got new strings for it and the neighbor man, Wayno Rintala, strung it up and tuned it for me. Sometimes Grandma would try to teach me some chords and have me strum along while she played Little Brown Jug on the piano. I was never any good it seems. Another neighbor man, Dennis Harrison, who lived up on the hill behind us, drew up some chords for me to practice. Practice those chords I did. They are probably the only ones I know! Sadly I do not know what has happened to this guitar. It never had a case for it so I couldn't take it with me on the airplane to Alaska or here to Finland. I am still trying to find out if it still exists or not. I do have a Grammer Guitar that my Dad gave to me in the early 1980's. He used to work at the Grammer Guitar Factory in Nashville, Tennessee. It needs to have some work done on the it but other than that it still sounds good for as long as it stays in tune.

A little back to normal life....

Now that Tiina has been home for four days and been a week since her operation we have gotten back to a half-way normal life. The second day home she decided she wanted to go for a walk to get fresh air and exercise. That walk turned out to be nearly 4 miles! First we went to the library where she needed to turn some books in, pay some fines (shame, shame) and pick up some that were being reserved for her. Then we walked to the mall in the center of Espoo and grabbed a bite to eat. After that we went to the pharmacy to get some gauze and stuff to keep the mosquito bites from itching when they bite Niki whilst he is up in Lapland all this week. We then went to the grocery store in the mall and bought a ton of groceries. There were two cloth bags and a small backpack's worth. Guess who got to carry them? I didn't mind. Tiina decided we should take the bus back because she was feeling a bit beat. Unfortunately for us the bus came a few minutes early and zoomed right on by before we could get out the door. She didn't want to sit around to wait 30 minutes for the next bus so we started walking. She did stop to rest at a bus stop halfway home. We just crossed the street near our place when the bus came! She took a shower and changed her dressings and felt new again. She did sleep like a baby but only until being awaken by the neighbor's teenage daughter who decided they should have a party at 2.30 in the morning. Tiina got up and climbed her way up the stairs and out to the balcony. She knocked on the wall separating us from the neighbor and told them they had two choices, be quiet or she calls the police and then asked if they understood. They did and they got quiet but only until 5.30 when they went at it again. This time I woke up. So I sent a text message via my phone to their father who is away somewhere on holiday with their mother. I think he got the picture that we weren't happy. He called his kids and then he called us to check the stories. He apologized.

Yesterday we went for a walk on the path through the woods. Tiina wanted to take a bucket in case we found some wild raspberries. We did and we walked up into the woods collecting about a liter or so. We then came back home as it looked like it was going to rain. But it didn't so I fired up the gas grill and cooked some hamburgers and chicken along with red bell peppers, corn on the cob, and one tomato. Check out my new apron and oven mitt that Tiina bought for me. It is from the Marimekko shop! ;-)

Niki and I left on the bus to Helsinki where he was to meet up with his Scout troop at the Helsinki Railway Station. Their train was leaving at 22.27 for Rovaniemi. They were headed for Muonio up in Lapland where they will be hiking and camping all this week. He has been pretty excited about this trip since he learned about it last winter. He was all excited as I let him wear my prized Suunto Vector. He said he would be honored to wear it! Cute kid. He will be returning to Helsinki something like 7.30 a.m. on Sunday. The weather forecast has called for rain and cool temperatures whilst he is up there. Nothing more miserable than staying in a tent when it is wet outside and damp inside. I am sure they will manage though. Seems like he took everything with him but the kitchen sink!

Breast Cancer and Tiina

Many of you do not know that just before Midsummer (20th of June) that my loving wife, Tiina, had taken it upon herself to have a mammogram performed. Well the mammogram and ultrasound revealed a growth approximately 3 cm = 1,18" in size. A biopsy was done immediately but she had to wait until the 3rd of July to really find out what the diagnoses was. She had been notified by phone on the 28th of June that it was bad and that it needed to be researched more. On the 3rd she found out what hospital she would be treated in. The nurse gave her a run down over the phone but her actual appointment wasn't until the 9th of July. So we both went in for the consultation and additional tests. A blood test and lung x-rays were taken and both turned out clear and negative. The doctor explained that the surgery would take place on the 17th of this month and explained what the procedure would be, etc. Tiina asked if it would be possible to have reconstructive surgery done at the same time since the total amount to be removed would amount to smaller than a tennis ball. The doctor called in the plastic surgeon who examined Tiina. She said it wouldn't be a problem to do that but the surgery date would have to be moved from the 17th to the 24th of this month. We left for our cottage as soon as our son Alexi was finished playing soccer with his team in the Helsinki Cup. We had an enjoyable time at the cottage. Both of us are quite calm, positive and optimistic that this will be overcome.

Tiina and I went to the hospital yesterday for the injection of a radioactive dye into the tumor in order to locate the sentinel lymph nodes that will be taken out and examined for cancer. Well the first round didn't reveal anything so she had to be injected again. This time it was under the skin. Luckily one, only one was to be found! So this will be the one they remove for testing. I guess as many as 10 can be found which means they would all have to be removed. If none are found then all the lymph nodes in the breast and under the arm as well as the fatty tissue from under the arm are removed. Tiina explained to me that before the dye was used the lymph nodes were automatically removed during the surgery. By removing the nodes this can cause swelling in the arm as well as numbness.

We got to meet the doctor who will be performing the actual surgery to remove the tumor. She had been on her summer holiday during our first visit. She is very nice and from what everyone tells us, the very best that they have. This is also a comforting thought. She drew lines on Tiina to indicate where the incisions would be made and how much would be removed. It appears that the size will be reduced from a D cup to a B cup. When the doctor had finished her drawing Tiina looked like a 3 year old got hold of a marker and had his way! These markings had to remain on her until today's surgery. The doctor was very pleased with the location of the tumor and with the texture of it. She said it should all go well. Another comforting thought.

So now Tiina has been in hospital since 8 am this morning. The time is now 4.13 pm. The doctor couldn't say for certain but thought the surgery would begin around 11 am. She said if all goes well it should take about four hours or even less.

I wasn't awake when she left this morning with her mother. She did come in to kiss and hug me and to say that she was leaving. I, of course, could not go back to sleep. It is a very eerie feeling. Heaven forbid something to go wrong but if it did that would have been the last time I would see her! Enough of that! No news is good news. So far I haven't heard anything yet. We had asked the nurse or doctor to call if something drastic had to be done. To let Tiina rest we decided that she would contact me first from the hospital.

So to all of you friends of Tiina you can check here for any results. As soon as I get them they will be posted here! I thank you all for your concerns, prayers and wishes. They truly mean a lot to us.

Tuesday 24.07.2007 22.15

Well my mother-in-law had called several times to the hospital to find out how Tiina was. She hadn't come back to her room by 8 PM so she called again at 10 pm. The surgery ended at 6.30 PM and if I understood right it went well. Too what extent that is I am not sure. She is being kept in recovery over night due to lack of personnel because of summer holidays. I will know more tomorrow and hopefully get to visit with her.

Wed. 25.07.2007 08.37Well my mother-in-law called this morning with good news. Tiina's operation had gone well and she had been moved to her own room just after Midnight. She had already eaten something this morning and had received pain killers and is now resting. She said we would be able to visit her just after Noon sometime.

Wed. 25.07.2007 14.44

I just talked to Tiina via phone. She is doing well. Unfortunately all the lymph nodes in her breast and underarm had to be removed. We were hoping that it wouldn't have to be so. The doctor found one that was quite hard and decided to do away with them. The tumor has been sent to the Cancer Research Center in Helsinki and the results should be back for Tiina's first follow-up on Aug. 1st. The surgery lasted from 2 pm - 6.30 pm. She was transferred to her room around 11 pm last night. She is on antibiotics and painkillers. She can sit up and go to the bathroom on her own now. She still feels a little dizzy when she does so but said it is getting better. We will go to visit her after the meal time so that would be after 4 pm.

Thurs. 26.07.2007 11.00Tiina called this morning and said that she will have to remain in hospital until Friday. She still gets dizzy and nauseous when she stands. They want her to move around more as well. She only started walking about around 8 pm last evening. The draining tubes should be removed today so that will make it easier for her to get around. She won't be able to drive for two weeks and will have at least four weeks sick holiday. Other than that she is progressing just fine!

Saturday 28.07.2007 10.47 Okay! So now Tiina is finally at home and doing well. She was released from hospital yesterday at 1 pm. She came home and rested a bit while watching TV catching up on all of her favorite shows that had been recorded on the digibox, especially All in the Family ;-) With a little guidence from her I made supper for everyone. Usually I am good at just throwing pre-marinated chicken thigh/legs in the oven and making macaroni and cheese or goulash that I have made since I was about 11. This time I fried up some small pork steaks with onion and cream and made macaroni and corn for the crew. Tiina ate it well enough, even though she doesn't eat much meat. She slept the night really good. I had the window open so it was much cooler downstairs than up. Her stitches are healing fine. Today we will try to go for a walk to the grocery store. She can't lift or carry anything but the walking and fresh air will do her good. Hopefully it won't rain before then or whilst we are walk about. Now that she is home I won't be updating here so often as she will be back on board with her Internet lists and groups (you all). I will make seperate entries for major things that come along concerning her future treatments. For those that just want to know leave me an email or comment and I will get back to you. I thank you all for stopping in and reading up about Tiina. I also thank those of you that have left nice comments about me to Tiina as well ;-) God bless you all!

Kesäloma = summer holiday

Ahhh.... at last the long awaited kesäloma!
This year's loma is a bit unusual compared to previous years. This will be explained in the next entry. We only got to have about eight days at our cottage. I think it is the shortest we have ever stayed a summer at the cottage since purchasing it in 1998. Well it isn't going anywhere. We have some good news concerning the property. We were finally granted the permission to split the property from that of the person from whom we purchased it. This has only taken nine years to accomplish. Our property is less than the minimum that the municipality requires. So with this permission we will be able to have it split with the boundries drawn on an official map and most importantly we will finally be able to rename it from that of Luhtala to that of Kujala! We will probably have to wait until next summer to do this but at least we know we can.

We didn't do much this year because of the short time and some rainy weather from time to time. We managed to do some real spring cleaning inside the cottage. It needed it pretty bad. I have never seen the place so clean! We visited with the neighbors who are distant relatives of mine but family all the sdame to me. I think they are the closest I have to MY own family here in Finland. I am very thankful for this as I always feel I am returning home when I visit the cottage.

I spent some of my time helping the relatives with their computers. It is something I enjoy doing. I taught their son how to back-up DVD's to the hard drive or burning them. All legit of course. They had some problems with getting the new laptop connected to the wireless network. I started out working on it when another friend of theirs came along to work on it. For a while we both worked on it. You know the saying, "two heads are better than one". We had to call it quits around Midnight as the son and mother had to get to sleep as they both had to work the next morning. By the time I got over their the following morning the other guy had it pretty much up and running. So that was good.

We went to visit a friend who lives in Jepua. We finally got to see her little son and had a tour of the fine, old house and all the improvements that had been made to it. The last time we had visited that house was in 1992. It was a nice day trip. We had last tanked up the car in Espoo the day we left on the 13th. We tanked up in Jepua on the 18th with 48 liters. The car holds 60 liters. We had gone 543 km on that tank. We are quite happy with that. The Volvo would have used much more. We even had the air conditioning on most of the trip.

Our last full day at the cottage we had invited the relatives over for sauna and food to honor the 100th anniversary of my great-grandfather leaving Finland (see earlier entry) for the USA on 17 May 1907. The sauna was ever so great. I think it has become quite popular with everyone. We are very proud of it ourselves.

So now we are back home in Espoo. We did some gardening work but that is about it besides the ton of laundry that needed to be washed. Got it all washed but then it began to rain and rain. I think I will have to take the sheets in and hang them in the sauna to finish drying. No, the sauna isn't turned on ;-)

I still have two weeks of holiday left so I will have some things to do as well as taking care of the boys and Tiina.

New car!

Well we finally did it! The 1986 Volvo just got too old and expensive to make the yearly repairs in order for it to pass the auto registration inspections. She will surely and sorely be missed.

So this year we decided to put the money that would be spent on repairs into a newer car. As it turned out the man who generally services our car happened to have a 1998 Nissan Primera SLX for sale! What a beauty she is too. When Tiina saw it for the first time as we turned into the parking lot and fell in love with it right away. I also like the color.

It is a 1998 model that had only 125,000 km = 77,671.4 miles. All other cars that Tiina checked out for the same year had well over 250,000 km. We had purchased it on the 18th for 8,000 Euros + the Volvo. I don't think that was a bad price. This car's interior is like new and she runs very smooth and fast! It is front wheel drive and even has air conditioning. Lovely!

Helsinki Cup 2007

July 8th-15th, 2007. Well Helsinki Cup came and went for our star #9 Alexi. His team EBK Vilperit Sininen unfortunately lost all four of their matches so they didn't get to continue to the next round. They all played well and their spirit was quite favorable. Even with losing they came off of the field with smiles on their faces and bubbly spirited. This is what it is all about boys. Winning isn't everything but being able to get out there to play the game, being given the opportunity to do so and to have fun doing it. Better luck next season!

The results were as follows:

tu 10 08:15 Laajasalo 2
EBK/Vilperit Sininen - VeVe 1 - 3

tu 10 17:35 Leppävaara 2
tn PK-35/Kobrat - EBK/Vilperit Sininen 11 - 1

we 11 09:25 Käpylä 8
TiPS/Juventus valkoinen - EBK/Vilperit Sininen 6 - 0

we 11 17:35 Käpylä 8
EBK/Vilperit Sininen - Valtti/Bandicootit 0 - 2

The boys have something to be proud of for their efforts in their first Helsinki Cup being such a new team. The last match played was probably the best game they had all year. A few more matches like this and they for sure would have been able to advance to the next round.

Juhannus/Midsummer

Today was Juhannus or Midsummer. We didn't do anything spectacular as it is getting close to our summer holiday. Tiina and I had morning sauna and sat out on the terrace with the morning sun in our faces. It was very refreshing. After sauna we had breakfast and then went to work in the yards.

The boys decided to go on an adventure and rode their bikes to Matinkylä which was about 15 kilometers round trip. They were gone for some time. Each had a backpack with them and some water to drink. They tried find a place that was open selling icecream but had to settle for the gas station in Finno before returning home. They were pretty beat but had a good time. Tomorrow they will probably go to Tapiola and do the same.

First Tiina weeded her flower beds and then placed supports for the bigger leafer plants such as the Bleeding Hearts and Rhododendron. We hung a trellis in one corner for a climber to use. Tiina had cut it all the way to the ground earlier this Spring. I trimmed the hedge out at the front gate as it had become very overgrown. After the front had been taken care of we went down to the backyard and began to chip up all of the branches we had pruned from the Lilac trees and berry bushes. We pruned out more dead branches from the Lilacs as well and chipped them up too. The chipper works very nicely. After this work was done Tiina did a little weeding and then went to BBQ our Juhannus food. She grilled Norwegian Salmon, hamburgers, mushrooms, onions, tomatoes, red peppers, corn on the cob, egg plant and Zucchini. While she was BBQing I mowed and trimmed the backyard then raked it all up finishing just in time when the mosquitoes tried to make a meal out of me. The pictures included in this entry were taken around 10 PM. The days will start getting shorter now but we will still have light throughout the night.

There are a few things that need to be done to the front yard. One is that the whole structure where the gate is needs to be replaced as all of the wood has become rotten. The other is the awning over the front door due to the same. When the place had been painted (before we bought it) it hadn't been done right with the wall between us and our end neighbor. The paint is peeling off so that will need to be scraped away, sanded and new added. This all can wait until after summer holiday. That is if I am not too tired to do it ;-)

Felix Matias Kujala, 100 years ago today...

On this day, May 17th, one hundred years ago my great-grandfather Felix Kujala left his home of Finland and moved to what would become his new home, the U.S.A. Felix never became a U.S. citizen but it is known that he had initiated the process, although the documents haven't been discovered yet. At any rate from 1909 to December 1952, the year he died, Felix would call Montana his home.

Feeliks Matias, or Felix as he was known in America, was born April 2, 1887 in Jalasjärvi, Finland to Hermanni Samuelinpoika and Adolfiina Malakiaantytär. He was baptized on April 5, 1887. His godparents were crofter Matti Kaseva and his wife Ulriika Serafiia Samelintytär. He was baptized by the Vicar, Julius Ivar Engström.

Felix and his family lived on the croft (torppa) by the name of Lustila (See earlier entry in this blog about the Lustila croft). Lustila was a part of the large Marttila farm in the village of Hirvijärvi that had been founded by his 9th great-grandfather, Martti Sipinpoika, 326 years earlier. Martti was born in Kurikka on the Vähä-Tuisku farm. After having been isäntä of Marttila (1561-1571) in Jalasjärvi he went to Kauhajoki where he started the Iso-Aro farm and was isäntä there from 1580-1621.

Felix's mother died at the young age of 34 on May 15, 1892 having given birth to seven children by that time. Felix, was the 5th child of seven but only three of his siblings lived to adulthood. He was raised, along with his siblings, by his aunt (mother's sister) and her husband after his mother had passed away when he was only five. As he grew to manhood he started working around farms as a renki or hired farm hand. He ended up working for his sister, Hedvig = Hetviiki and her husband Samuel Konstantin Kujala, at the Kujala farm in Sikamaa=Sikakylä. When Hetviiki passed away on January 22, 1906 her husband remarried on November 4, 1906 and would later, in 1926, pack up his family and move to nearby Peräseinäjoki.

Felix was left out in the cold, so to speak, so he must of thought that there would be better opportunities in America for him. This, however, is all lost to history as Felix never spoke of his family back in Finland. He only mentioned that he had two living sisters when he had left Jalasjärvi. He also had his birth date off by one year and a month. The headstone at Roberts Cemetery reads June 14th, 1888. It has also been told to us that he was an orphan raised by a mean step-mother. He indeed was an orphan in the respect he had no mother but he didn't have a step-mother until after he moved to the States as his father re-married only in 1910 and assumed the surname of Puisto, his 2nd wife's name.

Felix received permission from the local magistrate on May 6, 1907 to apply for a passport to America for five years. He was 19 at the time. He had to travel south from Jalasjärvi to Hanko where he took a steamship called the Virgo, belonging to the Finland Steamship Company, Ltd., on 17 May 1907. The cost for the complete fare was 350 Finnish Marks. The Virgo sailed, more than likely, to Hull, England. He then boarded the C. F. Tietgen, belonging to the Skandinavien-Amerika Linie, which departed from Copenhagen, Denmark on May 23, 1907 and arrived at Ellis Island, New York on 5 June 1907. The C. F. Tietgen's manifest shows Felix listed as a laborer, age 19, having a ticket to final destination, having never traveled to the USA before, having $8.50 cash on him, not a polygamist, not an anarchist, in good health, physical and mental, not crippled or deformed, 5 feet 6.5 inches tall, healthy complexion, fair hair and grey eyes. No marks of identification and born in Jalasjärvi.

Felix lived in Calumet, Michigan from 1907-1909. A work card #10394 from the Calumet and Hecla copper mines lists the following info: Felix Kujala hired 7 June 1907 left 4 March 1909. Immigrated in 1907, doesn’t read or write English. Work history shows various laborer jobs paying from $52.00 to $60.00 per month. It also shows where he had been docked pay a few times for being late and disobedience! Felix is listed in the R.L. Polk register as boarding at 2555 D Calumet Township, Michigan. This was a mining house where workers shared the same bed with another. While the day shift person was at work the night shift worker would be sleeping and vice-versa. This same address (2500 D) is given on the passenger list as the final destination that Felix was headed for in the USA. So sometime after 4 March 1909 Felix made his way to Red Lodge, Montana where he worked in the coal mines a while then turned to farming.

Felix is listed in the 1910 Census as Felix "Kaulla", 23, coal miner, born in Finland, and one of 7 boarders living with the Finnish family of Martin & Greta Leeman at their boarding house on Platt Street (South Platt and 15th Street) in Red Lodge City.

Felix was married to Helmi Elizabeth Lampi by Finnish preacher, Nestor Tikkanen on March 19, 1912. Helmi was born in Red Lodge, Montana on December 18, 1895 to Matti Matinpoika (Kontolampi) Lampi and Serafiia Juhontytär (Honkola). Their marriage license was the key to my finding Felix's roots in Jalasjärvi. I was able to obtain the original copy in exchange for my signature in August of 1990 from the Carbon County Courthouse in Red Lodge. This beautiful, old and well preserved document lists the most important clue. That would be the name of Felix's father, Herman! His mother is listed as Fija Kujala but research shows that Adolfiina was his mother. I think he used his mother-in-law's name since he had no living mother at the time. Also interesting to note is that Herman never used the Kujala surname but as matter of keeping things simple I believe he attached the Kujala name rather than having to explain Lustila and such. Besides, who would know or ever find out? Helmi's brother Svante married Selma Elizabeth Hakala on the same day. Each couple acted as witnesses for each others ceremony.

After Felix and Helmi were married they purchased 160 acres of land in Roberts (Cottonwood) from Svante and Selma Lampi (his in-laws) on 11 April 1913 for the price of $3,000. On September 4th, 1919 Felix and Helmi sold the above land to Peter B. Gardetto of Roberts.

A bad jpeg image of Felix Kujala's W.W.I. Draft Card lists the following; 25-1-5-A. Name: Felix Kujala; Roberts, Montana; born June 15, 1888; Alien (Int. papers); Born: Wasa, Finland; subject of Russia (Finland had been an Autonomous Grand Duchy of the Russian Empire from 1809 to 1917); present trade: farmer; employed: self; wife and 3 children solely dependant on him; married, caucasian; no prior military service; does not claim exemption from the draft on any grounds. Signed Feelis Kujala. REGISTRAR'S REPORT: Medium height and build, eyes blue and hair is light, no disabilities. Signature of registrar: J. H. Lochridge; precinct 7; Carbon County, Montana June 15, 1916.

Sometime between 1919 and 1920 Felix and Helmi had purchased a house and lot in Red Lodge where they had lived for about a year. Felix worked in the coal mines during this time. The house is still there today. It is not certain where the Kujala's moved to exactly after this but is still being researched. This property was sold to one Matt Lyytinen for $1,300.00 on the 29th of June 1920. They did end up moving back to the Roberts area where they farmed. In later life Felix engaged in carpentry work and the last house they lived in was situated across the street from the Roberts school. It was the first house on the upper end of the block and next to this house was another identical in structure.

Felix and Helmi had a total of eight children with seven of these living to adulthood.


They were:

1) Melba Josephine, born January 16, 1913; died October 30, 1965; married Clifford Walter Lorash on February 28, 1934. They had seven children: Lloyd, Curtis Walter, Norman Ray, Gary Gene, Carol Charlene, Linda Lorraine & Kayla.

2) Matt Raymond, born December 20, 1914; died April 24, 1982; married Florence Evelyn Leimback on December 25, 1933. They had six children and stillborn twins: Mabel Helmi, Gladys Emily, Robert Mathew, Marilyn Kay, Carolyn Sue & James Edwin.

3) Johannes "John", born December 14, 1916; died of Diptheria on November 8, 1922. Buried in an unmarked grave in Red Lodge Cemetery.

4) Ina Elizabeth, born October 21, 1918; died July 11, 1988; married Leonard Hunter on March 20, 1941. They had four children: Betty Jean, Leonard Eugene, Marlene & Robert.

5) Elsie Elenor, born October 25, 1920; died February 17, 1992; married Albert John "Peewee" Slehofer on September 6, 1938. They had six children: Judy, Gerald A., Jack Ray, Richard Donald, Sharon A. & Steve Ronald.

6) Verna Virginia, born May 15, 1923; died November 16, 2006; married Theodore John "Teddy" Kansala on October 9, 1942. They had three children: James Theodore, Karen Ann & Hal Leslie.
2) 20 July 1971 James Joseph Allen.

7) Helmi Lillian, born September 18, 1927; died January 4, 1997; married 1) Ervin Emory Dempster on November 27, 1944. They had four children: Bruce Ervin, Lillian Darlene, Richard George & Jeffrey Allan.
2) March 31, 1972 to Max Sylvester Thomas.

8) Margaret Jane, born September 9, 1932; died December 31, 2000; married 1) William E. "Bill" Normile on December 19, 1950. They had two children: Elizabeth Dean & William Matthew.
2) October 27, 1956 Ramiro "Rod" Garcia.

Helmi Elizabeth passed away on July 12, 1952 at the age of 56 1/2. Cause of death was due to massive cerebral hemorrhage. She is buried beside her husband of 40 years in Roberts Cemetery, Roberts, Montana.

Felix Matias passed away on December 12, 1952, exactly five months after his wife, at the age of 65. Cause of death was coronary thrombosis. He is buried alongside his wife of 40 years in the Roberts Cemetery in Roberts, Montana.

I never had the pleasure of knowing my great-grandparents. In a way I feel like a reverse image of my great-grandfather in the sense that I left my home country to try life in another country. In this case I returned to his land of birth. I did so during the 83rd year that Felix left. I was nine years older (28) than Felix was (19) when he began his journey. I couldn't speak Finnish and I was coming over as a laborer. I came by plane rather than boat and I began work just a few days after my arrival.

I do not know the reasons for his leaving Finland nor why he never wished to speak about his family he left behind. I am told that he was a kind, gentle man and that he had a way with discipline by a look he gave. Relatives here in Finland, who knew his father, Hermanni, said the same about Hermanni. This page in Felix's life shall be lost forever to history. I am happy with my life here in Finland just as happy as Felix must have been in Montana. He had a much tougher time I am sure. I could get by with English right away as most Finns can manage one way or another. He, on the otherhand, had to learn from scratch. Times were also more "primitive" for him in 1907 than they were for me in 1990.

I have my great-grandfather to thank for allowing me to retain my Finnish identity. He could have just as easily changed it to something completely different and non-Finnish sounding. The name of Kujala was not so easy to pronounce when I was growing up. But I learned how to say it correctly from my grandfather. Now I live in a place where there is no need to spell it out every time I say it or have to explain what nationality it is! So far, as I know, I am the only one of his descendants to return to Finland not only to live but also for a visit. I wish that all of his descendants could make it over here at least one time. It saddens me that some cannot but that is the way of life.

I honor this day in memory of my great-grandfather Felix Matias Kujala for without those events that took place 100 years ago I would not be writing this. Paljon kiitoksia rakkaalle esi-isällemme Felix Kujalalle !!

I am, Matti Kujala son of Bobby Kujala, son of Matt Raymond Kujala, son of Felix Matias Kujala.

In Memoriam Erik Kristian "Eeki" Mantere 1949-2007

On April 30th, 2007 we received some shocking and sad news about the passing of Eeki Mantere, better known as Viktor Kalborrek of the Finnish musical group Hullujussi and Kari Grandi of TV commercial fame for those little Grandi ready to drink juice cartons that come with a straw in a plastic wrapper glued to one side.

Now I didn't have the pleasure nor the privilege of growing up listening to this style of humorous music. I only learned of Eeki and the rest of the band after I had moved to Finland in 1990. I saw more of him in the Grandi commercials at first than I had heard of him in his music.

Hän on kaikkien janoisten sankari, aikamme legenda: Kari... Grandi!

Later I would see him perform on several TV shows. One of these was BumtsiBum hosted by Marco Bjurström. This was an episode filmed in 2001 with guests Riitta Havukainen and her character of Hansu and her partner Eija Vilpas in character of Pirre. Eeki was his usual Viktor Kalborrek with bright white teeth and tightly curled handle-bar mustache decked out in a blinding white suit. Viktor's partner was Heimo Holopainen or better known as Frank Pappa, also of the group Hullujussi. My first encounter with Frank Pappa was when he had his own TV show "Frank Pappa Show" and later "Frank Pappa Late Show." This came about after the first year I had been living in Finland. Okay, so I didn't understand hardly any Finnish at that time but I enjoyed the show all the same. Frank could play a mean upright bass!


We had purchased a CD in 2003 by Hullujussi entitled "Bingo Bulvania". My family and I enjoy listening to it as well as singing along with some of the songs while we are in the car either on our way up to our cottage or coming back. Of course our favorite is always "Bingo Bango Bongo" and "Tyttö Lilla Nakkikioskilla".


I had the honor of meeting Eeki a little over a year ago when we attended my brother-in-law's daughter's baptism in Vihti. You see Eeki is the father of my brother-in-law's wife. They are Sampo Haapaniemi and Marleena Mantere. Sampo plays drums with the Finnish band called Egotrippi. Well the grandparents, parents and siblings were there as well as the cousins.


When I first entered the home of my father-in-law at the time of the baptismal I saw Eeki standing in the middle of the living room floor. He was much shorter than I imagined him to be and not as skinny as I had seen him on TV. His teeth weren't bright white and he didn't sport that handle-bar mustache nor the thick, black eyebrows. He was dressed in black and had a ponytail. At first glance he reminded me of the actor Steven Seagal!


After some time I found the courage to actually speak to the man. Eeki's son, Miro, was also there with his wife and kids. It was via Miro that the conversation with Eeki opened. We spoke about how big a family he had. He had been married twice and had two more sons, Emil & Emppu, close in age to my own two boys, Nicholas and Alexander. They hit it off just fine and hung out together most of the day.
During the ceremony Eeki read the Grandparent's poem. I remember it being so neat hearing Eeki reading the names of my children in this poem. After all his two grandkids via Sampo and Marleena are half-first cousins to my boys. His singing voice was supurb as well when all sang along with the priest.

I took a few photos of Eeki and his large family that day. One special photo is of him holding his precious granddaughter, Marikki, just after she had been fed. He was singing to her very softly. The moment required to be captured on film or in this case digitially.


After the ceremony everyone sat down to eat. I watched Eeki from time to time and whenever he passed me he would give me that Viktor Kalborrek look and smile and say something in English. He seemed to always mutter something about Rock 'n' Roll and would have some gesture to go along with it.

When everyone began to leave I had hoped to be able to say good-bye to Eeki and tell him how much of a pleasure and honor it was for me to meet him after all of these years. I stood in the hallway so that all that went out had to pass by me. When Eeki approached he just kept looking straight ahead. I thought to myself should I say something or not? Just when I was about to let it be and go find my family, Eeki made a quick, quarter spin turn in a crouching, almost ducking, position and with his arm halfway extended and pointed his finger and me and said in a low, quick voice, " It was nice to meet you." At that moment I could see Viktor Kalborrek in his face. I told him it was a pleasure to meet him and hoped that we would be able to so again in the future. We had talked about the possibility of him and his two youngest sons attending my son's birthday party the following year, which will be in the middle of this month.

After they all had left I went up to Marleena and told her how much I enjoyed her father. He was a real nice guy and hilarious. He was the same in real life as he was on TV.


It saddens me that we may never get to meet again. He has a legacy and that will continue to live on in the hearts of those who grew up with him and those who are yet to come.

Good-bye Eeki and may you entertain the angels of heaven as you had so many here in Finland.

My sincere condolences to the entire Mantere family and especially to my sister/brother-in-law, Marleena & Sampo and your family.