Clarice Elnora Jokinen
July 15, 1924 - April 23, 2013
Obituary
Clarice Elnora Jokinen [1924-2013]
Family Matriarch
A funeral service will be held Monday, April 29, 2013 for Clarice Elnora Jokinen, who passed away peacefully on Tuesday, April 23, 2013. A resident of Tumwater, Washington in recent years, “Grandma J” or “GiGi” as she was known to her family, was 88.
The service will begin at 11:00 a.m. at Washington Memorial Park at 16445 International Boulevard, SeaTac, WA 98188.
Mrs. Jokinen was a member of the Risen Faith Fellowship church in Olympia. She was a wonderful cook, pianist, seamstress and storyteller and was well-known as the proud keeper of Jokinen-Helland family history and lore and as an astute collector of antique spoons.
Born Clarice Elnora Helland on July 15, 1924 in Plaza, North Dakota to her parents Andrew Martin Nilsen Helland and Bertha Matilda McGovick Helland, a large family of Norwegian descent that included 15 children. After growing up on the family farm in North Dakota, she moved west to Seattle, Washington where she and her husband both worked for the Boeing Corporation.
At one point, she lived in Alaska, running a successful retail business. During other chapters of her long life, she helped run a family store back in North Dakota and later resided for a time with her daughter in northern California. However, she spent most of her adult life in Seattle and Olympia.
Mrs. Jokinen was preceded in death by her husband Einar E. Jokinen (1966), a Navy sailor whom she married in Sidney, Montana on December 9, 1941, just two days after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, and by her two sons, Curtis Einar Jokinen (1978) and Dale Leroy Jokinen, Sr. (2003).
She is survived by her loving daughter Elaine Carol Jokinen Reeves; daughter-in-law Barbara Mae Sullens Jokinen; sister Lorraine Genevive Helland, brother Donald Martin Helland (Helen), seven adoring grandchildren Curtis Einer Jokinen (Beth), Kim Jokinen Lemen (David), Brian Davis Reeves, Cynthia Carol Reeves Rutter (Jim), Todd Leroy Jokinen (Jennifer), Elisha E. Jokinen Moran (Kevin), Dale Leroy Jokinen, Jr. (Amber); and six great-grandchildren.
The family prefers donations be made to Risen Faith Fellowship, 2129 East Fourth Avenue, Olympia, WA 98506 US; http://www.risenfaith.org/
Our one and only “GiGi” will live forever in our hearts and memories. I was greatly honored to have “Grandma J” refer to me as her “grandson”, even though I had to marry into the family to earn that esteemed title! She was a gem, with a caring heart, an amazing memory for family history, and an underrated, wry, sly sense of humor. Winning a big laugh from Clarice was like winning the lottery and I was fortunate to have done so on quite a few occasions. We enjoyed a special friendship and I feel blessed that her grandchildren and great-grandchildren had the chance to experience her special brand of love. I’ll endeavor to help preserve and maintain the legacy of her long life. I love you, GiGi! Thank you for being such a wonderful part of our lives for so many years!