Anneli Alperin

Anneli Alperin passed away on Sunday, June 1, 2025 at the age of 91 in Staten Island, NY. She was born Milja Anneli Jalkanen on April 20, 1934 in Karelia, Finland and subsequently moved to the Helsinki area with her family at the onset of the Finnish-Russian War. Anneli lived for a year in Sweden during the war for her safety. After earning a master’s degree and working in Helsinki, she began a letter correspondence with Brooklyn native Lee Alperin. Lee proposed to Anneli during one of his trips to Finland. Anneli moved to the United States and they got married in December 1967. They lived in Bay Ridge for a while and then bought a house in Ward Hill in Staten Island. They had two children Anna-Liisa and Martin. While in the United States, Anneli continued to involve herself with the Finnish community through the Finlandia Foundation and dance traditional dances with a Finnish dance group while wearing traditional Finnish Folk costumes. She worked as a journalist and editor for New Yorkin Uutiset, which was a Finnish newspaper. Anneli was well versed in several languages and she loved to travel. She would go on cruises with her Finnish friends to travel the world. Anneli’s husband Lee died unexpectedly in August of 2016. Anneli is survived by her daughter Anna-Liisa and her husband Steve, her son Martin and his wife Robyn, and four grandchildren, Aileen, Claire, Jason and Ava. Anneli is remembered by her family and friends as a loving soul who was always willing to share a story.