Carl Godfred Nikula, 90, of Clinton, died Tuesday, July 10, 2007 after a short illness.

Carl was born in Iron County, Wisc. on Sept. 15, 1916, the eighth of 11 children of Johannes and Selma Nikula, Finnish immigrants to the United States. Carl grew up speaking both Finnish and English and he was very proud of his Finnish heritage. He spent his early years on a farm and maintained a lifelong love for nature, gardening, hunting and fishing.

Carl was a graduate of Hurley High School, the International Trade Institute and Superior Vocational School. He was a former member of the Boilermakers and Iron Workers unions, and was a member of Operating Engineers Local No. 302 for 55 years.

In 1942 Carl married Ruth Alice Hendrickson in Chicago, Ill. They lived in Hurley, Wisc., near Carl’s childhood home, for the first few years of their marriage. The promise of mild weather and better job opportunities spurred Carl and his wife to move to the Pacific Northwest in 1949.

The couple settled in West Seattle where they raised their children and lived for the next 39 years. In 1988 they moved to their home in Clinton. Ruth preceded Carl in death in 2001.

Survivors include Carl’s dear friend and traveling companion, Eva Lee Smith, Langley; two sons, Gordon and Daryl Nikula, Clinton; a daughter, Alice Thull (Guy), Clinton; six grandchildren;

20 great-grandchildren; and one sister, Ruth Suomi, Bessemer, Mich.

A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. Aug. 4 at Trinity Lutheran Church, Freeland.