Rose Nickila

Rose Nickila, 90, of Long Beach, died on Tuesday November 11, 2008, in Long Beach. Rose was born January 31, 1918 of Dan and Barbara Begich in Virginia, Minnesota. Born of immigrant parents from Croatia, Rose grew up in Northern Minnesota along with nine siblings. Rose married Ivan Nickila, her husband of 60 plus years just before World War Two. When Ivan was in the Army, Rose went on to work in the ship yards around Portland, OR. After the war the family moved to Astoria, OR where Rose worked in the fish canneries. In 1947, the family moved back to northern Minnesota, where Rose raised a family of two boys and one girl. In 1975 Rose moved to Minneapolis, MN where she went to work at the University of Minnesota. After retiring, Rose and Ivan moved around Washington until settling in Ocean Park, WA, and then went to live with relatives, and Circle of Life adult home in Long Beach. Rose is survived by her son, William Nickila, his wife Coral of Long Beach, WA, their 4 children and 5 grandchildren; daughter Patricia, her husband Robert Byrns of Zim, MN, their two children and 4 grandchildren; son Charles Nickila of Alameda, CA, and his daughter. Graveside services will he held at Willamette National Cemetery in Portland, Oregon on Monday, November 24, 2008 at 1:00 PM. The guestbook is available at www.penttilaschapel.com.