Draft:Väinö Simojoki
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Väinö Simojoki | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 27, 1930 Rantsila, Finland |
| Died | April 23, 2025 (aged 95) Oulunsalo, Finland |
| Occupation | Pastor, writer |
| Nationality | Finnish |
| Alma mater | University of Helsinki |
| Period | 1998–2014 |
| Notable works |
|
| Spouse | Aila Tellervo Kurikka (m. 1957) |
| Children | Pekka Simojoki |
Väinö Samuli Simojoki (27 January 1930 Rantsila, Finland[1] — 23 April 2025[2] Oulunsalo, Finland) was a Finnish pastor, missionary and writer.
Early life
[edit]Simojoki grew up in Rantsila as a farmer’s son. He graduated from Oulu Lyceum in 1950 and studied theology at the University of Helsinki, graduating with a Bachelor of Theology degree in 1957, and then worked as a youth pastor in Kemi.[1][2]
Activities in missionary work in Ovamboland, South West Africa
[edit]Simojoki became a missionary with the Finnish Mission Society in Ovamboland, South West Africa, Namibia, in 1964, working there for two terms. During the first term, 1964–69, he worked at the Engela mission station, where he was responsible for the duties of director of the Ovambo-Kavango Church’s Engela Parish Institute, in which capacity he trained the church’s first deacons. The work also included other things, from preaching trips to construction work and from pastoral care to car maintenance.[2][3][4][5][6][7]
During his second term, 1970–73, Simojoki worked longest in Tsandi,[8][9] where he was responsible for missionary work among the Dhimbas living in Kaokoland, west of Ovamboland. For the last six months, Simojoki lived in Oniipa, where he was responsible for the tasks of the head of the mission in South-West Africa.[2][10]
As a pastor in Finland
[edit]After returning to Finland, Simojoki settled in Jyväskylä, from where he served as the mission secretary of the Diocese of Lapua from 1973 to 1981.[11] From 1981 to 1993, he served as the chaplain of the Kypärämäki district of the Jyväskylä Parish.[1][2]
In his retirement years, Simojoki settled in Oulainen, and spent the summers in his summer house in Rantsila. During these years, he wrote two memoirs about Namibia. He also wrote poems and chronicles. Several of the poems were turned into songs, one of which has been recorded.[2]
Private life
[edit]Simojoki was married to Aila Tellervo Kurika (born 1933) since 1957,[1][12] with whom he had five children. The youngest two were born during the Africa years in Onandjokwe Hospital. The eldest of the children is musician Pekka Simojoki.[2]
Books
[edit]- Books by Väinö Simojoki according to the Fennica database of the Finnish National Library:[13]
- Sateenkiittäjät [‘Those who thank for the rain’]. Helsinki: Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Mission. 1998. p. 259. ISBN 951-624-247-2.
- Muistikuvia ja ajatuksen sirpaleita lähetystyöstä [‘Memories and fragments of thoughts on missionary work’]. Kalajoki: Uusheräyksen keskusliitto. 2014. p. 280. ISBN 978-952-67986-2-2.
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d Pappismatrikkeli 2018 [‘Register of pastors 2018’]. Keuruu: Suomen kirkon pappisliitto [Union of pastors of the Finnish church]. 2018. p. 814. ISBN 978-952-94-0907-5.
- ^ a b c d e f g Simojoki, Pekka (17 May 2025). "Muistokirjoitus: Väinö Simojoki 1930–2025" [‘Obituary: Väinö Simojoki 1930–2025’]. kotimaa.fi (in Finnish). Sacrum-Kotimaa. Retrieved 20 May 2025.
- ^ Suomen Lähetysseuran vuosikirja 1965 [Yearbook of the FMS for the year 1965], s. 50, 76. Helsinki, 1965.
- ^ Suomen Lähetysseuran vuosikirja 1966 [Yearbook of the FMS for the year 1966], s. 69. Helsinki, 1966.
- ^ Suomen Lähetysseuran vuosikirja 1967 [Yearbook of the FMS for the year 1967], s. 73. Helsinki, 1967.
- ^ Suomen Lähetysseuran vuosikirja 1968 [Yearbook of the FMS for the year 1968], s. 81. Helsinki, 1968.
- ^ Suomen Lähetysseuran vuosikirja 1969 [Yearbook of the FMS for the year 1969], s. 79. Helsinki, 1969.
- ^ Suomen Lähetysseuran vuosikirja 1971 [Yearbook of the FMS for the year 1971], s. 77. Helsinki, 1971.
- ^ Suomen Lähetysseuran vuosikirja 1972 [Yearbook of the FMS for the year 1972], s. 77. Helsinki, 1972.
- ^ Vain yksi nimi — Jeesus. Suomen Lähetysseuran vuosikirja 1973. [‘Only one name — Jesus. Yearbook of the FMS for the year 1973’], s. 136. Helsinki, 1973.
- ^ Suomen Lähetysseuran vuosikirja 1974, s. 5. Helsinki, 1974 [Yearbook of the FMS for the year 1974].
- ^ http://www.savijoki.net/simojoki/pekka.php
- ^ "Väinö Simojoki". Fennica database (in Finnish). Finnish National Library. Retrieved 22 May 2025.