Obituary | Lauri Hemmi 1925–2022

Forester Lauri Kullervo Hemmi died in Hämeenlinna on November 11, 2022. He was 97 years old, born in Tammela on August 2, 1925.

Hemmi was born into a family of teachers and often sat on the school bench with his twin brother already at the age of two. He played sports, read books and fished and hunted with his father.

After graduating from Forssa co-educational school in 1943, Hemmi was called to serve in the Continuation War and after that in the Lapland War. He first worked in the Kankaanpää battery as a gunner and then in Field Artillery Regiment 3 as a gunner.

A forester the profession attracted Hemmi. He was in training at the University of Helsinki’s Hyytiälä forest station together with 99 other Forsts in the biggest course of all time in the summer of 1947.

After graduating in 1948, he worked in various positions in Finland and also as a forest foreman in Sweden and England. In 1953-1954, he studied as a Fulbright scholar in the United States and completed his Master of Forestry degree at Oregon State College in 1954.

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Hemmi’s life mission eventually became Northern Finland’s swimming and its development in cooperation with research organizations.

The contribution of the fluent Hemmi in cooperation with Swedish swimmers and measurement associations was very significant. Hemmi retired in 1988.

Family was a central part of Hemmi’s life, which with his wife Leena came happy cottage summers in Vieremä. He was close to his four children and nine grandchildren. In his last years, Hemmi still had time to meet his two great-grandchildren in Stockholm.

Hemmi had been an enthusiastic exerciser throughout his long life. Achievements during the student period were the youth Finnish championship in the 110-meter hurdles and the championship of the Finnish Academic Sports Association in the 4×100-meter relay.

Even at over 90 years old, he often participated in veterans’ skiing events. Hemmi loved music and played the piano and accordion himself. He traveled a lot and followed world events until the end.

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In retirement years Hemmi’s connection to the professional field remained through networks and association activities, he was, among other things, the longest-standing member of Teollisuuden mänshhoitatien. Important retirement work was also recording the history of swimming and writing down one’s own professional biography.

Lauri and Leena Hemmi were frequent visitors to the Finnish Forest Museum in Lusto, Punkaharju, and they were also financial supporters of the museum’s collection work. Hemmi gave Uittoteho ry and his own photo collection to the museum. He did a great job on backgrounding the pictures.

Lauri Hemmi, who was cheerful until the end, active and interested in many things, will remain in our memories and in the annals of Finnish forestry.

Kirsti Löfwall Hemmi

Leena Paaskoski

The authors are Lauri Hemmi’s daughter and friend.

#Obituary #Lauri #Hemmi

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