Ben Wirkkala

Ben Wirkkala, 89, a lifelong resident of Naselle, Washington, died in Astoria, Oregon on April 27, 2010. One of 15 children born to Finnish immigrants Andrew and Hilda (Korpela) Wirkkala, he was born at home in Naselle on May 23, 1920. He grew up on the family farm and attended Naselle grade school. While a teenager he began working in the woods as fireman on steam donkey engines. The spirit of adventure hit in 1939 and he traveled to Alaska where he worked for a year in fish canneries. He took a coastal steamer to San Francisco, returning to Naselle, where he resided the rest of his life. He and Inez Johnson were married in Naselle on August 8, 1941. Ben worked in the woods for Johnson Brothers before he and his brothers formed Wirkkala Brothers Logging. The company logged in Naselle, Deep River and Grays River before selling to Weyerhaeuser Timber in 1955. Ben, along with his brothers and some neighbors formed the South Fork Water Co., the first community water system in Naselle. With his logging days behind him, Ben began a new a career in oil exploration and leasing in Texas and South Dakota. He obtained his private pilots license and flew his plane from Wirkkala Airport in Naselle. He and several partners also owned the Oregon Motor Hotel in The Dalles, Oregon for a number of years. Ben was one of the developers of Western Wahkiakum Telephone of Rosburg, Washington where he was currently serving as board member and treasurer and was proud of his record of having never missed a board meeting. A man of strong Christian faith, Ben was a lifelong member of the Assembly of God Church in Naselle where he served in various capacities. He also served as a trustee of Northwest Bible College in Seattle in years past. A man of many abilities, Ben took particular pride in his mechanical and machinist skills. He literally could make any machine part from scratch and held several patents for logging, boating and aviation parts. He was an avid reader, fisherman, hunter and a devoted husband, father, grandfather and friend to many. No matter the circumstance, he was always willing to lend a helping hand. He was one of the last remaining members of the greater Naselle community who was well versed in the traditions and history of the area. Besides his wife of nearly 69 years, Ben is survived by daughters and son-in-laws Cathy and Rick Verbarendse of Shelton, WA and Sharman and Rick Horvath of Meridian, Idaho; sons and daughter-in-laws Russell and Sirkka Wirkkala of Naselle and Wally and Maria Wirkkala of Naselle; grandsons and their spouses Regan (Sara) Wirkkala, Tim Wirkkala, Lamar (Rebekkah) Wirkkala, Ryan (Erin) Wirkkala, Guy (Jenny) Wirkkala, Lee (Rachelle) Verbarendse, Greg (Towhee) Verbarendse, Dale Verbarendse and Michael Horvath; great-grandchildren Hannah Wirkkala and Nathaniel Verbarendse; brother Hannes Wirkkala of Vancouver, WA; sisters Eva Pellervo of Naselle and Aimee Carathers of Vancouver, WA; and numerous others members of his extended family. He was preceded in death by his son Jimmy; his sister Elizabeth Lindholm; and brothers Arne, Oiva, Howard, Edwin, Lauri, Albert, Martin, Paul, Fred and Urho Wirkkala. Funeral service will be Saturday, May 1, 2010, 2:00 PM at the Assembly of God Church in Naselle. Concluding graveside services will be followed by a reception at the church. The casket will be open at Penttila's Chapel by The Sea in Long Beach on Friday from 10 AM until 5 PM and at the church prior to and following the service. Memorials may be made to either the Naselle Assembly of God Church or The Gideon's in care of Penttila's Chapel, PO Box 417, Long Beach, WA 98631. His guestbook is available at www.penttilaschapel.com