Photographer unknown, ca. 1951
Lyyli's future mother Maria Katariiina Torkko from Ylistaro had come to work as a dairymaid at the Orivesi dairy. Heikki Parpola, a local farmer, was one of the dairy's managers and Maria and Heikki soon found each other. Unfortunately Heikki died of tetanus in 1920 when Lyyli was 7 years old. Her mother Maria was now a widow with four children under 13 years old. However, Lyyli and two of her brothers were able to pursue academic studies and Lyyli graduated in 1938 with a Master's degree with a major in Germanic philology. During her studies she spent a year in the UK improving her English language skills. During the war of 1939-1944, she first worked in the war censorship at the State Information Office¹ (Valtion tiedotuslaitos) and then in the Clearance Section (selvittelyjaosto) of the Office of Home Front Headquarters. There she met my future father Martti Kutvonen. After the war, she completed a pedagogy degree in as well. Throughout her teaching career, Lyyli worked as a German and English language teacher. First in Somero and Orivesi, but most of her career she spent as a lecturer at the Helsinki Lyceum. ➔ Lyyli Maria at the age of 72
¹ The office provided intelligence to the government, supervised the activities of the information and propaganda organs, provided war censorship, and conducted counter-espionage.