The Immigrant Mother – Impi Orvokki Roinila
(12.06.1940 – 06.18.2026)
Impi Orvokki Roinila (Vesalainen), age 85, of Brandon, Manitoba, passed away in Deloraine, Manitoba on June 18, 2026, after a short illness. She was born in Nastola, Finland on December 6, 1940 and came to Canada in 1974 with her husband Olavi and their three young sons, carrying just two suitcases.
Impi was born while her family was being evacuated from Viipuri to Pori during WWII. As a child war evacuee, she spent about three to four years with her sister in Sweden before returning to Finland without knowing the language or seeing her family again. She adapted to life after the war in Finland where she lived with her parents and eight siblings in a small house. At just 19 years old, she married Olavi Roinila in Pori and they moved to Helsinki together. There, she gave birth to sons Mika (1961) and Tomi (1963). The family later emigrated to Australia in 1967 when Olavi sought better opportunities for them all. Their third son Ricky was born in Sydney in 1968. The saying “Once an immigrant, always an immigrant” rings true; their return to Finland in 1970 led them through several moves over the next four years until they settled down permanently in Canada in 1974.
Her Canadian journey included living in Winnipeg, MB; Vancouver, BC; and Thunder Bay, ON; before returning to Finland again in 1990 where she stayed with Olavi until he passed away in 2010. Afterward, Impi returned to Canada and following the loss of her son Ricky settled down at Westman Lions Manor in Brandon, Manitoba. Despite receiving a sudden cancer diagnosis, she showed incredible Finnish sisu right up until the end of her life on June 18, 2026 after spending time with many family members.
She is survived by Mika (Grace) Roinila from Battle Creek, Michigan and Tomi (Sherry) Roinila from Williston, North Dakota; six grandchildren – Matti Roinila, Jari Roinila, Ari Roinila, Marita (Kirk), Sinikka (Rohrer), & Laura (Haack); two step-granddaughters Kayla Mutscher and Marissa Stalvik; along with twenty-five great-grandchildren. She was preceded by her husband Olavi who passed away in 2010 as well as her son Ricky Roinila who also died that same year.
A celebration of life along with an internment service will take place during summer of 2027 in Buxton, ND.
