arja and pirrko our email cousins
Arja, on the left, is the granddaughter of Laimi's sister Aini Liisa. Her mother was Liisa's daughter, Anni. Arja was born in Turku Feb. 4, 1938. However, when she was 10 months old her parents sent her to the grandparents in Jalasjarvi. She lived there until she was six. After that she spent her summers with her grandparents in Jalasjarvi. Much like I did after I moved to Turtle Creek. The reason her parents sent her to Jalasjarvi is to get away from the bombing done by the Russians. Turku is at the extreme south of Finland. That area was very vulnerable during that time. The Germans and Russians both had an interest in Finland, who remained neutral during the second World War. Arja said the Germans helped the Turku people during this time. Later Arja studied at the Technical University in West-Berlin from 1958-1964. She studied Architecture. She married a German citizen and had two children there. They lived in Helsinki, where Arja worked as an apprentice to Aarne Ervi, a well known Finnish architect. She later divorced and re-married Pertti (Peppe) Eriksson, an old school mate from Finland. They now live again in Turku and keep a summer home on the Gulf of Finland, not far from Turku. She and her husband, Peppe, also have a summer cottage near the old homestead in Jalasjarvi. She is also interested in genealogy and has helped make clear to me the Finnish way of life.
On the right is Pirrko who was the first to make the connection with us. This is explained below. Pirkko is the daughter of Anni Liisa's son, Aarno. She now lives in England with her husband TC. They have two daughters. One daughter is married and the other just (2010) graduated from college. When Pirrko was a school girl her parents sent her to Kurikko, Finland to learn English. She went to college in Vaasa, Finland. She met her husband, who was a college student in London, when she spent the summer in England with an older sister. They visit Finland yearly during the summer solstice It was Pirrko's beginning efforts at
On the right is Pirrko who was the first to make the connection with us. This is explained below. Pirkko is the daughter of Anni Liisa's son, Aarno. She now lives in England with her husband TC. They have two daughters. One daughter is married and the other just (2010) graduated from college. When Pirrko was a school girl her parents sent her to Kurikko, Finland to learn English. She went to college in Vaasa, Finland. She met her husband, who was a college student in London, when she spent the summer in England with an older sister. They visit Finland yearly during the summer solstice It was Pirrko's beginning efforts at