My Dad

Shortly after Dad passed away, I felt like I needed to write something...something about who he was and how I felt about him.  It is in no way a complete "Eulogy", and I wasn't sure if I wanted or would be able to read it at his funeral, but I did.  I stood there, next to my Dad's casket, and read these words.  It was painful to write.  I struggled to read it.  But it is a small part of my tribute to my dad who I love and miss so much.     

Klaus Henrik Kurki—Eulogy

I first want to start by saying how grateful I feel to have had Dad in my life for these past 43 years.  As unbelievably sad as I am to say goodbye, I can’t help but feel so incredibly lucky to have had him as my dad. 

Klaus Henrik Kurki was born as the first son to Alvar and Laine Kurki in Vaasa, Finland June 27^th, 1945.  He was the oldest of 5 children (Britta, Marianne, Ron, and Kenny).  He loved his family dearly.  He had an exceptionally close relationship with his parents…it affected him so much when he lost them both within such a short time. 

Dad was very proud of his Finnish heritage.  Although he moved from Finland when he was only 15 years old, he made sure to keep the Finnish culture a part of his, and our lives.  He taught all his children and most of his grandchildren how to make pulla and to sing Finnish songs.  We went to Scandinavian festivals, opened presents on Christmas eve, melted led on New Year's Eve, and he even built us our very own family sauna.  We grew up listening to stories of swimming at his grandparents’ summer cabin, long walks in the snow, and bathing in the sauna.  In recent years, I spent hours with him looking at maps of his hometown and watching documentaries about Finland…we talked about traveling there together someday to see where he grew up. He was always hesitant to go back because he knew it wouldn’t be the same place that he loved so much.  One of my favorite stories from Dad’s childhood is about when he started elementary school at age 6 or 7.  I’m sure all of us have heard the story.  His mom dropped him off at school and before she got home, he was already there waiting for her.  She then let him stay home for the whole school year if he promised to go back the next year with no problems.  He loved being home and he loved his mom. 

When Dad moved to Canada, he worked hard learning English and making a life for himself.  He met my mom, Valerie Lorna Winters, through mutual friends at church and they, were married February 4^th, 1971.  They quickly added 4 girls to their family Lisa, Sheri, Tina, and Anita.  He loved us.  I am certain we all have no doubt about that.       

Dad worked so hard his whole life providing for his family.  He worked for the school board for many years, until he surprised us all by retiring early at the age of 57.  He was so much happier staying home, working in the yard, fixing things around the house, painting, spending time with his family, and studying the scriptures.  I honestly think he worked harder after he retired than before, but it was different because it was work he enjoyed.  He spent the next 18 years turning our backyard into a fruit orchard with pears, grapes, apples, blueberries, figs, raspberries, kiwis, and probably more that I don’t even know about.  When he wasn’t pruning, watering or harvesting, he was fixing things.  Dad could fix just about anything…and was always eager and willing to come to any of our homes to help us fix things.  He never wanted to throw something out and buy a new one.  He just kept working till he could fix it. 

I’m not sure if dad’s love of fixing things led to his love of garage sailing and thrift shopping or the other way around, but he couldn’t resist a good deal for something he knew he could just fix and it would be as good as new…and could almost certainly barter until he got the price even lower.  I remember one time telling him I needed a belt, and for the next few months, every Saturday he would come home with another belt or two (or three) for me to try.  He was always looking for things for us or mom or his grandchildren. 

Another thing Dad loved to do was fish…maybe partly because it reminded him of fishing as a young boy in Finland.  When we were kids, he would have all us girls hunt for worms in the yard, then pile us all in the car and head to a riverbank somewhere to spend the day fishing.  We all had turns holding the rods…but I think most of the time we just played while he fished.  We did fishing derbies at Mill Lake, crab fish at white rock beach, and even took his little rowboat out into the ocean.  When I married Mike and he showed interest in fishing, Dad was so excited to take him out and show him the ropes.  When they got back, I heard Dad insisted on piggybacking Mike across the fast-moving river so he wouldn’t get his shoes wet.   But that was Dad, always wanting to teach us, help us, and show us the things he loved.

A huge part of who Dad was, was being an artist.  After retiring, he was eager to delve back into painting.  His love of art had been a part of his life since he was a small boy, drawing with pencils in his bedroom…and has turned into something so much more.  He went from creating amazingly beautiful landscapes to producing flawless portraits, all on his own.  With each new piece of art he presented to us, we were just in awe.  We will treasure these precious works of art forever and are so grateful he was able to print and publish a book of his artwork…something that had been a lifelong dream of his.

Dad had a strong, unshakable testimony of God and Jesus Christ his Savior.  We all know that any chance he got, he was deep in a spiritual discussion.  He studied, he prayed, he pondered, and his mind was always on things of eternity. I read a line in my grandma Kurki’s history where she talked about Dad, she said “All of the worldly riotous joys had not appealed to him” and that was true his whole life.  He had an eternal perspective.  He didn’t value material things but things of eternity.  I remember years ago when I was planning my daughter’s baptism and all the details were falling through, I called home pretty upset and Dad said to me “just remember, the only really important thing is that she is getting baptized…none of the rest matters”.

As I looked through pictures of dad this past week.  I noticed that in almost every picture, he was holding one of his 16 grandchildren.  He always said how much life the little children brought into his home.  When the kids were younger, his specialty was taking the fussy baby and try to entertain them.  He did this with a trip to the cuckoo clock or propped them on his shoulder to see the bird figurines he had placed around the house, or to ring the bells with their little feet or for a quick ride in a bucket or a bowl or something else he created to make them happy.  When they got a little older, he taught them to play chess, to shoot a BB gun, to paint, to fish, to make Finnish food, to build forts, and even to throw spears.  He taught them about God and the meaning of life.  He was an amazing example of life-long learning and was constantly teaching others as well as himself new things.  I’ll never forget when we were teenagers and he decided he wanted to learn Spanish…so he did!  He spent hours studying and practicing and learned it remarkably well. 

As I attempt to conclude this eulogy, I struggle because there is so much more to dad than these things.  His eyes were the palest blue eyes I’ve ever seen.  His smile lit up his whole face.  His kindness and friendliness poured out of him wherever he went.  He was so special and so loved and he will be missed and mourned by so many.

It’s hard to talk about him as a person who “was” and not “is”.  The last time I talked to him and saw him, he was so full of life.  So full of laughter.  So full of love.  I will miss his hugs, his funny stories, our long talks, his silly jokes, and watching all his weird shows on tv with him.  I will miss so many things about him.  But…I do know…he will live on through us.  His love, his legacy, his influence will live on forever through us and through our posterity…until we are together again.

I want to conclude with simple a scripture in John 11:25-26

“I am the resurrection and the life; he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.”