Date of Birth: May 19, 1929
Date of Death: December 4, 2015
Sinikka Lukkarinen of Whitewood passed away Friday, December 4, 2015 at the age of 86 years.
Irja Sinikka was born in Jyvakyla, Finland May 19, 1929, a tiny twin who weighed only 1kg, 400 g. She and her sister were not expected to live. A nurse chose her name as the larger twin, her sister was given the name her parents had chosen. Her sister (Raila) Inkeri died of whooping cough at nine months. Sinikka always felt her loss. Sinikka passed away peacefully in the Regina General Hospital at four in the morning on Friday, December 4, 2015.
Sinikka was predeceased by her parents Lauri and Kerttu Lukkarinen, her stepmother Saima Lukkarinen, her twin
sister Raili Inkeri and another sister Sirkka-Liisa, who also died in infancy, as well as her beloved friend and lifetime companion, Lyyli Lammi in 2008. Sinikka leaves to mourn her brother Sakari and wife Aiya, and their son Mark of Toronto, Ontario, her bother Lasse, and wife Pirjo, their two sons, along with their wives, nieces and nephews in Finland; as well as many friends who cared for her deeply.
Sinikka was an amazing woman with a deep faith apparent to all who knew her. She gave her life to Jesus at age 13 and walked closely with him all of her days. She attended fifteen different churches in Finland and twelve in Canada, where she served in many capacities from Sunday school teacher, choir member, treasurer and prayer warrior.
Sinikka and Lyyli also opened their home for prayer meetings and Bible studies. The girls lived in many places from Toronto to Victoria, but settled in Burrows, Saskatchewan where they ran the store selling heath food, gasoline and groceries. Sinikka said that mountains hemmed her in but on the prairies, she was free. The big skies, with clouds that looked like angel wings over her, were a constant source of amazement for her.
In addition to all her volunteer service, Sinikka worked at a hospital in Toronto for two years before one year in the sick children’s hospital. Next she worked in a doctor’s office for five years. After a move to Victoria, Sinikka worked in a private care home, then back to Thunder Bay and another six years at a care home. Then she moved to Calgary and worked at a care home there for two years, then the girls moved to the prairies, where they ran the store, and Sinikka was asked to work with home care as a client assessor and supervisor of the home care nurses. Her working life lasted 50 years until she was 65. During this time, she also completed a Master Herbalist Diploma and enjoyed writing, especially poetry for the Todistaja paper where much of her work was published over the years. It also must be mentioned that she designed the official New Finland costume and sewed them herself.
Sinikka was known for her kindness, generosity and hospitality. She set the most beautiful table and treated each guest to her home with the utmost Christian charity. As her health began to fail, she lived mostly in a spiritual realm, reading her bible and praying ceaselessly for her family and friends, church family, community and even the world.
All who knew and loved her were better people for having known her. Her faith inspired all she came in contact with, which was her lifelong goal.
A celebration of Sinikka’s life was held Thursday, December 10, 2015 at St. John’s Lutheran Church, New Finland with Pastor Dave Hepburn of New Life Community Church, Whitewood. Following the service, interment took place in the New Finland Cemetery. Those wishing may make memorial donations to the Gideons International in Canada or the C.N.I.B. Arrangements were entrusted to Matthews Funeral Home, Whitewood.
