Dr. Robert Carl Liimatainen, PhD

Robert grew up in Aura, Michigan in the home built by his father and neighbors. After graduating from L’Anse High School, he was a member of Tau Beta Phi honorary Engineering Society and earned his bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from Michigan Technological University in 1950.

He began his career at the Argonne National Laboratory in Lemont, Illinois, working on the peaceful use and safe storage of nuclear energy and materials. His first project was on nuclear fuel reprocessing, where he worked under Stagg Football stadium in Hyde Park, Illinois at the University of Chicago. He authored and co-authored over twenty-nine peer reviewed articles and advanced projects in cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and with other national laboratories. He was the inventor of two patents. In 1955, Robert received his Master of Science degree and in 1958, his PhD from the Illinois Institute of Technology. Robert was a Fulbright Scholar at the Technical University in Helsinki, Finland, where he studied metal-water reactions.

His family enjoyed spending a year in Finland and meeting Finnish relatives. In 1966, Robert joined the U.S. Department of State as a Foreign Service Officer, where he was assigned to the U.S. Embassy in Cairo, Egypt. x-raying the Great Pyramids, in cooperation with the Smithsonian Institution. This tour was cut-short with the evacuation of the embassy at the start of the Six Day War. Robert served in Tehran, Iran, advancing scientific cooperation, during the early days of Iran’s nuclear program that was strictly used for scientific purposes such as medicine, agriculture, and biochemistry.

Following that, Robert returned to Washington, D.C. and spent time in Vienna, Austria, with the IAEA, and then served at the American Embassy in Belgrade, Serbia and later in Seoul, Korea. He was the only diplomat with a portable sauna on the rooftop of his apartment building. He retired as a Senior Foreign Service Officer in 1985.

Returning to Argonne, Robert was the Manager of the International Energy Development Programs, where he worked on international scientific collaboration projects.

Throughout his career, Robert was an active member of the American Nuclear Society. Not one to retire easily, Robert then served as a professional staff member and Senior Advisor on the Energy Sub-Committee with the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Science and Technology.

Robert set an example for his family of the importance of education and public service. Robert was President of Finlandia Foundation’s National Capitol Chapter and served on the Board of Directors of the Finnish American Rest Home.

He enjoyed serving on the board of the Aura Town Hall and volunteered for many years at the Aura Jamboree. Robert exemplified the value of hard work and the importance of having “Sisu” in the face of adversity.

He loved Finnish folk music, a good cup of coffee with a slice of nissu, and his mother’s Finnish fruit soup.

He was an avid pinochle and bridge player and enjoyed watching the eagles soar and the waves crash on the shore of his beloved Lake Superior.

Robert ended each of his letters to friends and family with the phrase, “Keep the faith”.

Robert is survived by his sisters Judy Parks and Janet Ruess, his brothers Rodney and Richard Liimatainen, his three children, Kathy Johnson (Liimatainen), Bruce Liimatainen and Robert Tor Liimatainen, three grandchildren, five great-grandchildren, and one great, great-granddaughter.

Services to honor the life of Robert Liimatainen will be held at the Aura Lutheran Church on October 8, 2022, at 10:00 a.m. followed immediately by burial in the Aura Cemetery.

Friends, neighbors, and family are invited to also join a celebration of Robert’s life at a lunch immediately afterwards (around noon) at the Aura Fire Hall.

Memorial contributions in honor of Robert Liimatainen may be sent to: The Finlandia Foundation, 254 N Lake Ave #852, Pasadena, CA 91101. The Finnish American Rest Home, 1800 South Drive, Lake Worth, FL 33461. DACORm 1801 F St. NW, Washington, DC 20006 https dacorbacon.org.