Our dear sister, Maaret Anita Vataja, passed away in her sleep on Aug. 8, 2015 in Hayward, Calif., at the age of 62. Maaret was born Oct. 8, 1952, in Pori, Finland, to Eino and Dora (Grönlund) Vataja. In 1959, the family moved to Aberdeen and Maaret graduated from Weatherwax High School in 1971. Over the years Maaret had worked at Montgomery-Wards in Aberdeen, and Western Steel. She was very proud of her Finnish roots, having visited her birthplace a number of times, and had been a member of the United Finnish Kaleva Brothers and Sisters Lodge #9 in Aberdeen. Maaret maintained her mother’s traditions of baking braided cardamom bread (pulla) and knitting slippers (tossut). Maaret had a particular soft spot for cats.
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