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Elsie M. Wirkkala Obituary – 6/2/2013


Elsie Mathilda Wirkkala, age 93, of Longview, WA, died Sunday, June 2, 2013, at Ray Hickey Hospice House in Vancouver, WA.

She was born June 15, 1919, to Jacob Hjalmar and Elsa Fredrika Kandoll in Astoria, OR.

Elsie grew up on the Kandoll farm in Rosburg, WA with numerous siblings. She attended local schools and the Seal River Apostolic Lutheran Church.

Elsie married Charles Abraham Wirkkala Oct. 9, 1941, and they lived in Seattle two years before purchasing the Davis farm near Naselle, WA.

Widowed in 1962, Elsie remained on the farm while raising 11 children.

She moved to Longview, WA in 1981.

A lifelong member of the Apostolic Lutheran Church, Elsie showed hospitality to numerous members including pastors and their families. She was a devoted mother, grandmother, and aunt, as well as a talented gardener of flowers and vegetables, and a creative seamstress.

Elsie is survived by 10 children: Allan (Laurel) Wirkkala of Kelso, WA; Lloyd (Azalea) Wirkkala of Portland, OR; Kathy (Barry) Baker of Battle Ground, WA; Ruth Wirkkala of Phoenix, AZ; Orval (Beth) Wirkkala of Cokato; Linda Wirkkala of Castle Rock, WA; Sandra Davidson of Palm Springs, FL; Ralph Wirkkala of Longview, WA; Patti (Ken) Wills of Skandia, MI; and Thomas Wirkkala of Longview, WA; 27 grandchildren; 36 great-grandchildren; and one great-great-grandchild.

She is further survived by two sisters: Elma Impola of Menahga, and Toini Seppanen of Lake Norden, SD.

Elsie was preceded in death by her husband, Charles, in 1962; a daughter, Nancy, in 1967; and grandchildren Zachary Wills in 1993, Laura (Wirkkala) Creeth in 2010, and Connor Brooks in 2012.

She was also preceded in death by her brothers and their wives: Roy Kandoll, Wiljo and Helen Kandoll, John and Mildred Kandoll, Gust and Adeline Kandoll, and Ted and Mary Kandoll.

Elsie was a strong, independent, and loving woman who always gave credit to God for her strength. She liked to say, “The more I trusted in God, the less I worried.”

The funeral service took place Thursday, June 6 at 11 a.m. at Trinity Lutheran Church in Longview, WA. There was a burial service at 4 p.m. Wednesday at Peaceful Hill Cemetery in Naselle, WA.

Visitation was Wednesday, June 5 from 5 to 8 p.m. at the church.

Condolences may be sent to the Wirkkala family at PO Box 616, Castle Rock, WA 98611.

Dahl-McVicker Funeral Home in Longview, WA handled the arrangements.

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