A. Carl Maki

A. Carl Maki, age 80, died on October 29, 2015 in Rochester, Minnesota.He was born on October 22, 1935 to the late Esther Kangas and Charles Maki and was raised in Munising, Michigan in the heart of the Pictured Rocks National Park in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. He was a proud, full blooded Finn. He graduated from Mather High School in 1953 and was president of his class and captain of his football and basketball teams. Carl married his childhood sweetheart, Mariellen Stickney, at the age of eighteen, just after high school. He served in the Navy in Washington DC and played basketball for the Potomac River Naval Command. They then relocated to Houghton, Michigan where he received a Bachelors of Science in Civil Engineering from Michigan Technological University, and he was captain of the basketball team.In 1959 in Rochester, NY at the Rochester Technical Institute invitational tournament, he received an award for the most sportsmanlike player.In 1960-61, he was named Most Valuable Player at Michigan Tech.In Houghton, they had the first two of their five children: Melia (1959) and Kurt (1961). After graduation, they moved to Dutch John, Utah, where Carl worked as an engineer on site at the Flaming Gorge Dam, and Mariellen gave birth to their third child, Todd (1962). In 1962, they moved to Madison, Wisconsin where he took a research position in timber construction for the Forest Products Laboratory and completed a Masters Degree in Civil Engineering. Taina, their fourth child, was born in 1964. In 1967 he received a National Science Foundation grant and returned to Michigan Technological University and completed the first year of a Ph.D. program in Engineering Mechanics. In 1968, they received a job offer from IBM and moved to Rochester, Minnesota. Their fifth child, Kaara, was born soon after. Carl was hired by IBM to work on a system to help engineers model their projects. When the entire project was shelved in the early 70s, he was asked to make a career change to programming, and he earned the equivalent of a bachelors degree in computer science.A major project during his career was a U.S. Department of Agriculture special bid where they put an IBM System 36 in every county in the U.S.He retired in 1996 after 28 years of service. He also taught Statics and Strength of Materials at Rochester Community and Technical College. Carl was an active father and community member. He spent many years as a Cub Scout leader, PTA president, elementary school mentor, and an usher, choir member and Sunday school teacher at St. Lukes Episcopal Church.He played on numerous basketball, softball and bowling teams and ran a number of long distance races, including the Pictured Rock Road Race and the Twin Cities Marathon. He was diagnosed with Parkinsons Disease in 1990. Defying expectations, Carl remained an athlete and an engineer and pushed limits until his last days. He played competitive bridge and did calculus problems for enjoyment. He and Mariellen spent their summers at their second home in Christmas, Michigan where he enjoyed time with family and developed the game of Maki Ball. He and Mariellen celebrated their 61st wedding anniversary in September and his 80th birthday with their children and grandchildren on October 22nd.At the time of his death, he was writing a paper for nursing home aides and other caregivers of Parkinsons patients to better understand how to care for someone with the disease. He is survived by his wife, Mariellen Stickney Maki, and his children and grandchildren: Melia Maki Garness and granddaughter Kati; daughter-in-law Geri Droste Maki and grandson Kyle and granddaughter Nyssa; son Todd Maki and daughter-in-law Doris Fernandez Maki, grandson Ignacio and granddaughter Bianca; daughter Taina Maki and grandsons Amon and Shea; and daughter Kaara Maki and granddaughters Tate, Payton, Saija and Halle.He is also survived by his brother, Robert Maki, his sister Debbie Burkhalter Perttula, his brother Bryan Burkhalter, and their families. He was preceded in death by his parents, Charles Maki and Esther Kangas Maki Burkhalter; his step-father, Leonard Burkhalter; his brother, Dennis Maki; his sister-in-law Nancy Stickney Pilger; his son, Kurt Dennis Maki; and his granddaughter, Harper Elizabeth Maki-Waller. His body was donated to Mayo Clinic for research. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials to the Parkinsons Disease Foundation (www.pdf.org) or to St. Lukes Episcopal Church. A memorial service will be held at St. Lukes Episcopal Church in Rochester on Saturday, November 7th at 11 am.A luncheon will follow, and all are welcome.