Aino Kikkas, 96

Aino Manni Kikkas, 96, of Coeur d’Alene, passed at age 96 from this life into the arms of her Savior Jesus Christ on Thursday, March 30, 2023, at The Lodge at Fairway Forest.

She was born April 14, 1926, to Vassili and Helene (Kirman) Manni in Tallinn, Estonia. During World War II at age 18, Aino was forced to flee her beloved country when Russian forces invaded. She made her way to Poland, but the encroaching Red Army forced her to trek ever westward through Czechoslovakia and eventually to the American lines along the Rhine in Germany. Along the way, she escaped death several times — from gun and cannon fire, bombings and starvation.

When the war ended, she spent several years working as a translator for the British and living all the while in displaced persons camps. When the chance came to emmigrate to America, she seized it and sailed for New York. She also lived and worked for a time in Newark, N.J., and St. Louis, Mo., and enrolled in night classes at business schools.

A job offer in Los Angeles brought Aino to California where she became an accountant for the Standard Oil Company. In L.A., she met other Estonian refugees, including the man she would marry — Kalju (“Cliff”) Kikkas — on May 13, 1961. She and Kalju later moved to Hayden, Idaho, in 1967, where he continued his job with GTE. They became longtime members of Coeur d’Alene Bible Church and enjoyed leading many Christian endeavors there. Evangelism was dearest to Aino’s heart; there’s nothing she enjoyed more than sharing her amazing story and faith with others.

Kalju preceded Aino in death in 2002. As a widow with no children, her many friends and those she led to the Lord are her survivors.

The celebration of life will be 1 p.m. Friday, April 14, at English Funeral Chapel, Coeur d’Alene. Burial will be Monday, April 17, at Coeur d’Alene Memorial Gardens. Donations may be made to Open Doors, a ministry to persecuted Christians and to refugees like Aino.

Visit Aino's online memorial at www.englishfuneralchapel.com.