SOUTH PARIS – Aino Ilona Niskanen, 89, died peacefully at her home in South Paris on Tuesday, April 26.

Born on Jan. 26, 1916, in Paris, to August and Selma Falck Niskanen, she was the eldest of seven children. She attended a one-room school in the Whittemore District of Paris, Lincoln School on Paris Hill and graduated from Paris High School in 1934.

In 1941, she met Sulo E. Niskanen of New Castle, Pa., while working at the Finnish Embassy in Washington, D.C., and they were married on March 14, 1942, at Fort Bragg, N.C.

She was characterized by a deep sense of U.S. patriotism, pride in her Finnish heritage, love of her family and the steadfastness of her Christian faith. In addition to being a wife and mother, she also worked for the Maine State Employment Service in Lewiston, the AAF Headquarters Air Transport Command in Washington, D.C., Morrison Air Force Base in West Palm Beach, Fla., South Paris Savings Bank in South Paris and Northeast Bank in Lewiston.

She was an avid quilter, voracious reader, joyful gardener and charitable knitter. She donated over 2,500 pairs of hand-knit slippers to the Native Americans of Canada through the LAMP organization. She was a proud member of Trinity Lutheran Church in South Paris, the Paris Hill Historical Society, the Finnish-American Heritage Society and the Pine Tree Quilters.

She is survived by her husband, Sulo, of South Paris; her daughter, Karen N. Jones of Auburn; two grandchildren, Jennifer Cressey of Bath and Gregory Jones of Auburn; two beautiful great-granddaughters, Savannah Jones and Madelyn Cressey; all of her siblings, E. Viola LeViness of Raymond, Lily Moen of Stevensville, Mont., Edith O’Hara of South Paris, R. Edwin Niskanen of The Woodlands, Texas, Ruth Kelley of Monmouth and Evelyn Bryant of Brunswick; many beloved nieces and nephews throughout the United States; as well as numerous cousins in her parents’ homeland of Finland.

She became a Gold Star Mother after her son, Martin K. Niskanen, died in 1971 while serving in Vietnam.

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