My life partner of 55+ years was Liisa Karjalainen, born April 9, 1942, and passed away on November 2, 2025, after several weeks in hospice. She was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s 4+ years ago. Liisa was born in a small village in Finland and moved to Sonoma, California, in her 20’s with her cousin Gene Manila and his wife. They helped with many fundraising activities at FAHA: Finnish American Homeowners Association. Liisa was an avid Cross-country skier, biker, & runner. She was one of the first women hired at the Oakland Tribune & San Francisco Chronicle. She did the paste-up and arranged the articles for the paper. In fact, she taught them how to use the new printing machine from Finland shortly after she was hired. She had a great sense of humor and loved to tease. There wasn’t anything that she couldn’t do or fix.
I miss her every day. Ruth Levy