Aili Raikkonen

Aili Linnea Raikkonen, age 99, of Chambersburg, PA, passed away Wednesday, February 26, 2014, at Manor Care Nursing Home in Chambersburg. Born February 16, 1915 in Lohja, Finland, she was the daughter of the late Naima Kurikka and sister of the late Aune Karilainen.
In 1930, she left the family farm and moved to Helsinki, Finland. During World War II, she worked as a driver/conductor on Helsinki’s streetcars. In November 1949 she immigrated to New York City with her two daughters. She became a hairstylist and, in 1955, opened her own salon on Madison Avenue, NYC.
She loved the museums, operas, and concerts that were readily available in her adopted city of New York. With her knowledge of that city, she became an expert guide for her many friends and relatives who visited from Europe. She was very active and a vital member of the Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, Brooklyn, NY.
In 2008 she moved to the home of her older daughter, Terttu, and son-in-law, Ray, in Chambersburg. Mrs. Raikkonen is survived by a sister, Aini Lindstrom (husband Helge) of Helsinki, Finland; two daughters; Terttu Gretchen of Chambersburg and Anja Hammersmith (husband Alan) of Vonore, TN; four grandchildren, Stephanie Gretchen Burgevin of Columbia, MD, Christopher Gretchen (wife Lauren) of Ellicott City, MD, Aili Abler of Plymouth, MN, and Alan R. Hammersmith (wife Kate) of Waitsfield, VT; five great grandchildren, Linnea and Dylan Burgevin, Amanda Gretchen, and Lilly and Cameron Abler; and many nieces and nephews in Finland and Sweden.
Funeral arrangements by Kelso-Cornelius Funeral Home and memorial service at Trinity Lutheran Church, Chambersburg, at 1 PM on Saturday, March 8, 2014. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Trinity Lutheran Church 26 West Commerce St., Chambersburg, PA 17201 or Monroe County Friends of Animals, P.O. Box 106, Vonore, TN 37885.

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