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I am writing this in the early days of
June 2013, about a month after the 7th Finnish PEZ gathering
FinnPEZ. Nature in Finland is just starting to bloom, preparing
itself for a beautiful but short summer. Although it is a time
of many new births in nature, I quite often find myself thinking
of the other part of life – the loss of a friend. Just four
months ago, in February 2013, our PEZ |
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Kari was born in Helsinki, but lived a large part of his life
with his loved ones in Eastern Finland, in the towns of Iisalmi
and Varkaus where he worked as a teacher and school principal.
He loved music and good food, and was a true connoisseur of beer
and whisky. He was also an active member in the administration
of his parish. A few years ago Kari retired from his work as a
principal. After his retirement he could devote his time to his
loved ones and to his hobbies– including the hobby he loved
most: PEZ. Kari’s interest in PEZ started as a youngster in the
1950s when he received a package of them from his relatives in
the US. At the time he obviously did not know that in 40 years’
time he would start collecting them. Amazingly, in the 1990s
when he began to collect actively he still had those few PEZ
dispensers that he had got in the 1950s. So, without any doubt
we can say that he started his collection in the 1950s. In
comparison to any collector, this is quite remarkable.
My brother Markku and I met Kari for the first time in 2006. He
was the first PEZ collector we had ever met face to face. And
what a meeting it was! It was amazing to discuss PEZs and all
that relates to them with someone who knew exactly what you were
talking about. From the first moment on, it was obvious that
Kari was a sociable person of the highest quality. He was also
very knowledgeable about PEZ, much more than we were at that
time. The evening we spent in a restaurant in Helsinki was
magical in every way. The stories, the experiences, the
atmosphere, the laughs, the feeling – we will always remember
them as the foundation of our friendship. I am quite certain
that without this meeting the FinnPEZ event would never had
started. Inspired by our meeting, Kari, Markku and I arranged
the first FinnPEZ in 2007.
It was not just us “Southern Brothers”, as Kari used to call us,
who were highly inspired and influenced by him in the Finnish
PEZ community. Over the years, Kari became the face of PEZ
collecting in Finland. Among the current Finnish PEZ collectors
there are many who say that Kari’s appearance on the Finnish
national TV was the starting point of their collecting career —
a moment when they said: “WOW! Look at all those cool PEZs, the
collector himself, and the size of his collection”. We all
remember that moment. After meeting Kari the collectors became
even more inspired by his vivid stories and his expertise on
PEZs. His jovial and warm personality had an effect on all who
had the pleasure to come in contact with him. Kari was also very
active on the international PEZ scene and visited for example
the Linz PEZ Gathering. Later I have heard from people all over
the world about Kari’s active social networking among PEZ
collectors and his memorable e-mails.
During the past few years of his active PEZ collecting Kari
acquired a truly amazing collection of PEZs. When I say
‘amazing’, I really mean AMAZING. In any standards, it was a
most remarkable collection, which included pieces such as Mary
Poppins, MMM Owl and several other stunning dispensers, some of
which can be seen in the pictures of past FinnPEZ events. We
were all proud of his breath-taking collection.
I am very happy that I got to know Kari and had a friend like
him, even though the relationship ended all too soon. I will
always remember Kari with my heart filled with warm memories of
him. The PEZ community has lost one its greats, but he will
never be forgotten.
Kari, I will think of you every time I taste a smoky Scottish
single malt whisky. Have a pleasant journey - You are missed.
Pirkka,
In Espoo, Finland, 3 June 2013
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