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Kuka Kuoli? (Who Died)

July 2000
Dear Kaleva web site visitors
If you are curious about Kaleva's first and second generation families, their birth dates, death dates, how they migrated to Kaleva, etc., read on. I have compiled a reasonably accurate account of the data from the Kaleva Lutheran Church records which I titled Kuka Kuoli (who died). Thirty five copies are circulating around Kaleva. People have fed back both encouragement and corrections so consequently I have a "cleaner" copy about to be printed. Below are the first three paragraphs of the introduction and a sample page of the thirty seven page record. If you are interested in a copy address me at 2854 East Crown Dr. Traverse City, Ml 49684 or email; dasiala@aol.com or telephone at 231.995.9455. The cost will be $5 to $6.

Dick Asiala

Kuka Kuoli?
At ten o'clock Monday morning February 1, 1937, the bell of the Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Church, in Kaleva, Michigan, tolled six extended rings and three short rings. A member of the church, sixty three years old had died. The pealing bell was an aural report to the villagers and near-by farmers that a member of their congregation was gone. "Kuka kuoli?" could be heard on the streets, in the stores, in the homes. Sixty three years gave some clue because generally folks knew who was sick. But this death was a surprise.

On Saturday evening January 30 Hilma Johanna (Pollari) Asiala, who lived on Kaleva's Northwest corner of Osmo Street and Wuoksi Avenue, had gone to visit a friend, Mrs. Solonen, who lived across Osmo Street and about four doors East. Mrs. Solonen and Mrs. Asiala would sauna, have coff ee and pula (Finnish coffee cake), and visit, something they had done many times before. Prior to leaving for her visit, Mrs. Asiala had told family she intended to spend the night with Mrs. Solonen. About eleven o'clock that night, Johanna changed her mind and decided to return home. She didn't make it. She was found the next morning lying dead on the path between the two houses, her body partially covered with snow.

As a child, I was fascinated by the ten o'clock morning bell tolling the death of a church member. We lived in the same house with Grandma Johanna and played on the sidewalks where I would hear the ominous phrase "Kuka Kuoli?" (who died?) , whenever the bell tolled at ten a. m. Once the dead person was known, one would hear, "Se or Han Kuoli? (He/she died?) Ala sanoa! (don"t say that!) "Voi!, Voi!" (my!, my!) "Se/han oli niin nuori!" (He/she was so young!) followed by more "voi!".