Admirable Women Part II

Saima Sieva Elviena Aaltonen was born October 6, 1902 in Kaasmarkku, Finland to Viktori and Mariah. She had two big brothers, Aarno and Toivo, and eventually a little sister, Suoma Sigrid. Viktori emigrated to Canada, seeking work, and the family came along later in 1910. Grandma said she tasted a banana for the first time on the ship, and hated bananas thereafter. "Like oysters," she grimaced. Viktori died young from the effects of silver mining, and the brothers worked in mining-related industries, and moved away following the work. The women worked: Mariah (Tillie) as a cook in a mining camp, and the young girls as nannies. Work brought them to Sault St. Marie in America, and soon thereafter to homestead on Drummond Island.

Saima married Fred Nisula of Baraga, MI and settled into their cabin in the U.P. They had two children, Irene Elviena, and William. It wasn't a happy marriage. When Irene and Bill were married, Saima divorced Fred, moved to Detroit, and put herself through nursing school, and worked as a pediatric nurse through the 50s.

I remember her then, staying with us for extended periods of time, as my siblings were born. She was a strong woman, hearty, stern, but quick to laugh. Four of us were giggling past bedtime one night. Grandma had been in already three times to shush us, and the fourth time she was mad. "Quiet now, or I'll give you a fat lip and a cauliflower ear." We all fell out of bed laughing. Once we started, she started and we all rolled around giggling.

When her hands were too bad for infant care, she changed to hospice nursing, as live-in nurse for end of life patients. We live now not far from the historic Gage farm, where Grandma Si tended old Mrs. Gage to her passing. When Grandma Tillie was getting older, Si moved to Drummond Island permanently.

My grandmother was a pragmatic realist. When a young relative with negligible resources was to be married, my grandmother offered this choice: either she would pay for a fancy wedding, or she would pay to get the girl some teeth. As sensible as Grandma, our cousin opted for the teeth.

We wrote letters; from the time I could put words on paper, I wrote to Grandma, and she always wrote back immediately. She admired whatever I was doing that I was proud of, and discouraged me from foolish attachments.

When I was getting married in a spitfire of familial disapproval, and my mother refused to come to my wedding, Grandma said she'd be there, and she was. And my grandmother said her daughter should show up, too. She did.

Grandma loved her grandchildren unconditionally, fiercely and her entire life. We lost her 15 August, 1987 and I miss her still. Quiet, stoic, beautiful, strong, the tall woman with the sky blue eyes is keeping us all well-loved even now.