REINO J. KIVISTO July 29, 1929 - October 9, 2024
Mr. Reino Johannes Kivisto, age 95 years, passed away peacefully at Southbridge Lakehead on Wednesday, October 9, 2024. He was born on July 24, 1929 on the family farm near Beachy, Saskatchewan. He started working to help sustain the family farm with employment at Cypress Hills Park in 1944/45, then on a power line to Snow Lake in the winter of 1945/46. He started cutting pulpwood for Abitibi at Auden in 1946/47 and continued bush work for many years with Abitibi, Domtar, Great Lakes and others. He moved to Port Arthur with his mother and siblings in the fall of 1948 after giving up crop farming in Saskatchewan. His last position was as the General Manager of Moose Lake Loggers in The Pas, Manitoba, which he held from 1973-1993. He truly enjoyed the years in The Pas with his bridge club, his community activities, playing with his fellow musicians, and the friends he & Toini made there. He was also a lifetime member of the Loyal Order of the Moose.
He met his future wife, Toini, at a dance at the Finn Hall, and on May 20, 1953 they were married. Together they raised a family of six children and celebrated 57 years of marriage until her death in 2012. Dad was always smiling, and especially enjoyed playing his fiddle. He said he saw Hank Snow play when he was around 12 years old and decided he would learn to play the fiddle too! In his retirement years he played fiddle with various groups and then had his own band - Smokey Island Band - he played at dances, entertained at seniors' homes, raised money for the Salvation Army Christmas Cheer fund, and spent time busking on Bay Street on sunny days. He loved it when children would stop and dance while he played. He enjoyed playing cards (canasta was our weekly game), especially when he won, as well as spending time with family and taking his great-grandchildren out for pancake breakfasts. In the last two years his health declined significantly, due to complications due to cancer, and he entered long term care in January 2024.
Reino is survived by his children; John (The Pas, MB), Helen (Martin) Heerema, Edwin, Kevin (Loretta), Karen Bengtsson (Calgary, AB), and Andrew (Alma) (Calgary, AB); his grandchildren; Sheena Kivisto-Wheeler (Kenora, ON), Raymond (Melissa) Kivisto, Kayla (Chris) Scully, Karl (Nichelle) Bengtsson (Calgary, AB), Leslie (Chris) Kresack, Aiden (Kate) Kivisto (Halifax, NS) and Geoffrey (Brittany) Kivisto (Calgary, AB); his great-grandchildren; Austin and Silas Wheeler; Cole, Porter and Tate Kivisto; Levi, Lillia, Lyric, Loic, Lakelynn and baby Kresack on the way; and Eli Bengtsson. Also also survived by his sister Fern (Veli) Wennstrom, his sisters-in-law Lea Niittula and Ilona Toivonen, and his brother-in-law Oiva (Maria) Toivonen, as well as numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.
He was pre-deceased by his parents Evert (1973) & Helmi (1966) Kivisto, his son-in-law Donald Bengtsson (2013), his sister Elma Shulist (2022), his brothers Elmer (2008), Leslie (1980), and Melvin, Leonard, Evert, and Edwin in childhood; and by his brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law; Irma Kivisto (2015), Lillian Kivisto (1994), Arvo (1995) & Rachel (1974) Laukka, Veikko (1986) & Ann (2012) Nisula, Arnold (1997) & Aini (2018) Rajala, Matti Niittula (2006), Charles Shulist (1997), and Lauri Toivonen (2021).
We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to Dr. Del Paggio and the TBRHSC Cancer Care Centre team, and Dr. Berst, his long-time family physician, for their kindness and professionalism in caring for our Dad over the years, as well as the staff at Jasper Place and Southbridge Lakehead for their thoughtful and gentle care.
A Come and Go reception for family and friends to celebrate Reino's life will be held on Tuesday, October 22, 2024 at the Harbourview Funeral Centre on Cumberland Street from 1:00pm to 3:00pm. A private interment will take place in the morning. His fiddle is now silent, but the music lingers on.
In lieu of flowers, donations to the TBRHSC - Regional Cancer Care would be appreciated.
Condolences may be offered at
www.harbourviewfuneral.caPublished by The Thunder Bay Chronicle Journal on Oct. 17, 2024.