Her father was killed in the civil war, and afterward a close friend of her family, Kaarlo (Kalle) Vesanto from the town of Pori, took her, her sister, and her mother into his home.
Ta isa tapeti kodusõjas ning pärastpoole võttis ta perekonna hea sõber Kaarlo (Kalle) Vesanto Pori linnast tema koos õe ning emaga oma koju elama.