Matti J. Kankaanpää Has Passed Away

Author and genealogist Matti Juhani Kankaanpää died on Thursday 7 December, after six months of illness.

Matti Juhani Kankaanpää, 1943–2017

Matti was born in Kokkola on 6 November 1943. His family roots were in Virrat — at Ala-Härkö, Sipilä and Kauppila. He graduated from Virtain yhteiskoulu (Virrat Community School) and went on to study social sciences at the University of Turku, graduating as valtiotieteen kandidaatti (Master of Social Sciences) in 1972. He continued with postgraduate studies before becoming a full-time genealogist and founding Toiminimi Toiset Aijat.

Matti began researching Virrat families in the 1960s. He collected stories, accounts and oral history, interviewing older residents and initially recording everything by hand — he began his work before computers existed. His first books were written on a typewriter. He adopted the computer in the early 1980s.

He was able to read and interpret old texts and transcribed, among other things, parish registers to make genealogical research easier. Matti produced numerous family histories and local chronicles, published farm histories, and wrote countless journal articles.

He was a skilled and generous researcher — thorough and authoritative. In 2005 and 2006 he attended a non-fiction writing course at Orivesi College and took part in various continuing education courses in his field. He helped many people with an interest in their family history get started, including by teaching genealogy courses. He assisted private individuals who had gathered material about their families, by weaving their material into a coherent book. He was always willing to give expert advice, by telephone or in writing.

Matti was particularly interested in Finland’s earlier centuries. He gathered a great deal of historical material alongside his genealogical work. This gave rise to his most important works: Suuri Pohjansota, iso viha ja suomalaiset (2001) and Suomalainen Ratsuväki Ruotsin Ajalla (2016).

Matti had material in his archives for several more books, but illness slowly took his strength. He worked right up to the end. In winter 2018 his final book will be published — the history of Virrat municipality’s 150 years, commissioned by the City of Virrat.

Matti had no family of his own, but his close relatives will take care of his publications. They will remain available to order.

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Now you leave your own home,
the beloved paths of Salonpää,
the dear forests,
familiar shores and the yard
with its flowering apple trees.

Farewell, quiet keeper
of memories —
the work of your hands lives on.

Jarle M. Alvheim
Nephew of Matti J. Kankaanpää