Obituary of Hilppa Pennanen

Hilppa was born in Tampere, Finland as Hilppa Vehmas on June 14, 1926. She died on January 29, 2015 in Niles, Michigan. She was 88 years old. Hilppa grew up and attended school in Tampere. She studied and was fluent in four languages: Finnish, Swedish, German and English. Hilppa married Unto Pennannen on July 28, 1946. The couple and four children moved to the US in 1958 where they settled in Waukegan, Illinois and had one more child. Hilppa was an expert and sought after seamstress as well as an accomplished needle-work enthusiast.She was a member of St. Mark's Lutheran Church where Hilppa joined the Finnish choir and was an often featured soloist. Following retirement, Hilppa and Unto moved to their beloved Upper Peninsula home in Stambaugh, Michigan, becoming members of Trinity Lutheran Church where they taught Finnish language classes. Hilppa enjoyed traveling, walking, swimming and singing as well as cooking and baking for her family. She loved little children, took great joy in nature and had a soft spot for all animals and birds. Her sense of humor was boundless and she maintained an upbeat attitude in the face of the many challenges she faced. Hilppa will be sorely missed by her family and friends. She was preceded in death by her husband, Unto and their oldest daughter, Marja. She is survived by her two sons, Hannu (Mary) and Heikki; three daughters, Eva (Frank Lesser), Anja McLaren, and Kathy (Chuck Luker); eleven grandchildren, Liisa, Leena, Shelley, Nancy, Melissa, Beth, Jesse, Daniel, Greg, Nina, and Mia; and eight great grandchildren; Dylan, Daniel, David, Laylonie, Garrett, Kaar, Annika, and Jackson.