Irja Praba

Irja Matilainen was born in the town/ island of Säynätsalo in 1932. She was one of five siblings -Eeva, Helena, Irja, Eino and Esko- the children of Julius and Amanda Matilainen.

Irja grew up during WW II when Finland was in conflict with Russia, then Germany. Irja would tell stories later of life in wartime Finland. The wartime was a very poor time in Finland. Sometimes the family had nothing to eat. Julius´s brother lived in the countryside of Viitasaari and he sometimes sent foods to the Matilainen family- for instance big dark breads and butter. Irja also told stories about life on an island and adventures she had with her siblings and friends.

Irja attended secondary school in Jyväskylä, then the Helsinki School of Economics. She was a very good student and was at the top of her classes. She also spent time studying in Sweden and London.

Irja received an ASLA stipend for a year to the US in the late 1950’s: she attended University of Pennsylvania as a Fulbright Scholar. During her time in Philadelphia, she met Kris (P.B. Krishnaswamy) during a trip to Atlantic City arranged for international students. Kris was one of the drivers on the trip. At the end of her year-long study, she returned to Finland for a year, during which time she and P.B. continued to correspond. That was a difficult time for her because she was in love with Kris.

Irja made the decision to return to the US and marry Kris (Krishna) in 1961. She began attending Wharton School of Business after returning to the States and later graduated with an MBA in International Business.

Irja and Kris lived and worked in Philadelphia for a few years. In 1967, Irja gave birth to their son Anant and the family moved to New Jersey. Irja changed her focus to being a mom. In 1970, she had their daughter and the family moved to what would become their home of many years in Cherry Hill, NJ. After Anita was born the family changed to their last name of Praba.

Irja visited Finland many times and met her old family members who lived in different places there. Amanda and Julius, her parents, remained in Säynätsalo, Lehtisaari in their own house; Helena (her middle sister) lived with them. Irja’s oldest sister Eeva´s family lived in Keuruu. Her brother Eino’s family resided in Helsinki. Brother Esko´s family moved to various places in Finland and now lives in Espoo. Irja brought Kris, Anant and Anita to visit Finland for some of these trips.

Irja continued to be a stay-at-home mom for several years. She did return to work in the 1980’s as a bank loan analyst. While residing in Cherry Hill, Irja involved herself in the local Finnish community, becoming treasurer and later the president of the local American Finnish Society. She and Krishna liked to entertain and hosted Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve parties for their friends and family.

Irja loved to swim and to ski, weather permitting. She liked to bake, particularly Finnish pulla. She loved to pick blueberries, an activity she had grown up doing in Finland: she often told stories about her childhood, commenting about the difference between picking in NJ (high bushes) vs her childhood home (low bushes).

After both Anant and Anita had completed college, Irja and Krishna moved to Sunnyvale, CA. Irja loved Sunnyvale: the climate, the fruit trees in their yard. She attended classes at the senior center, adding Spanish to the other languages she had learned (Swedish, English, German and French amongst them). Irja and Krishna enjoyed being close to family and had visits from family and friends.

In 1998, Irja and Kris moved to Palm Beach, FL to a condominium across from the beach. They spent over a decade there. They enjoyed walks on the beach. They loved having family and friends visit. They continued their travels by air, land and sea. Irja enjoyed spending time with her aunt Olga, cousin Laura and her husband Marvin. She made the most of the local Finnish community in Lake Worth by volunteering at the Finnish-American rest home and contributing to the Finnish-American newspaper. She attended classes at the local senior center, including Spanish, writing and fitness classes. When the first grandchildren were born, Irja spent weeks caring for each of them in Richmond, VA.

In 2018, Krishna and Irja moved to Austin, TX. They remained in Texas for the last several years. Krishna passed away in 2021.

Irja is survived by her 2 children and 4 grandchildren as well as her brother and many nieces and nephews in Finland. She is remembered as a loving mother, wife, family member and friend to all those who knew her. She was an excellent storyteller and her written accounts and memories are a treasure to her family.