Alma Maria Pӓrssinen (Kuisma), passed away at Pioneer Ridge in Thunder Bay on January 20, 2021 – one day after her 107th birthday. Alma lived a good life, keeping her health even throughout her final years.
Alma was born in Sakkola, Finland on January 19, 1914. She served as a nurse with Lotta Svӓrd (Finnish voluntary auxiliary paramilitary organization) during the Second World War in Finland.
In the 1950s, Alma and her husband, Arvo, immigrated to Canada and ended up settling in Port Arthur. Together they made a living building houses on the north side of the city. Throughout her life, Alma also worked as a Nurse’s Aid at a hospital on Algoma Street, and as a maid in various homes. In the 1960s and early 1970s, Alma ran Samaria restaurant on Bay Street, where she prepared affordable, hearty meals for bush workers.