Jaakko passed away peacefully at Crossroads Hospice in Port Moody on August 11th, surrounded by his loving family. It seemed fitting that he passed in the community where he built his first home for his family and where he worked at Flavelle Cedar for 34 years.

Jaakko (Jack) Sakari Renfors was born in Kankanpaa, Finland on July 11, 1933 and then grew up in the neighbouring village of Honkajoki.  He lost his father at the young age of three and from then on did what he could do help his mother manage the farm.  Jaakko was a go getter from the start and had many entreprenuarial projects such as buying and selling leathers to bartering coupons during the war.  At the age of 17 he went to Sweden to seek work in the lumber industry as a tree faller.  He returned to Finland to attend mandatory army service and then went back to Sweden to resume work in the lumber industry.  While there he was presented the opportunity to go to New York to stay with his aunt but unfortunately she passed suddenly and his plans were cancelled.  That did not stop Jaakko from looking for other opportunities.  On a whim he purchased tickets on a boat going to Canada.  With $400 in his pocket, no knowledge of the language and no connections with anyone, he set off on his own.  When he reached Halifax, he took a train to Montreal and was advised to make his way to B.C.  where he worked in Tahsis as a longshoreman.  Jaakko went to Vancouver with plans to return to Finland with his new 1957 Plymouth.  As fate would have it, he missed his transport back.  While awaiting other opportunities to return home he attended a community dance where he danced with a lovely Finnish girl named Seija.

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Jaakko and Seija have since shared 59 years together.  He built a good life for his family in Port Moody and then later in Coquitlam.  Jaakko and Seija enjoyed travelling and visited many places like Cuba, Tahiti, China and the Panama Canal.  He was active in the church where he enjoyed the opportunity to connect with his fellow Finns. He was a wonderful ‘isa’ to his children, Davie and Karen and a loving and caring ‘pappa’ to Krista and Alina and ‘iso pappa’ to Hailey Rose.  He will be greatly missed by friends and family here and in Finland.   Jaakko was a happy man and proud of the life he and Seija built in Canada.  When swimming in his pool he would often smile and say, “What a country!”