About Almina Joyce Kilborn Vetter Laitinen (Mina)

Mina was born in Silverton, Oregon, and grew up surrounded by the rhythms of small-town life. She attended college in Eugene, where she welcomed her first three children. After losing her first husband to cancer, she returned to Silverton and later met her second husband on the Oregon Coast. Together they built a full and lively life, eventually settling in Canby, Oregon, in 1968, where they raised six children and opened their home to youth exchange students from around the world.

Alongside raising her own children, Mina ran a daycare in Canby for many years. She sang, read stories, and encouraged the children to write and perform their own plays—charging their parents a “ticket price” to watch the shows. Her home was filled with music, creativity, and play, which left a lasting mark not only on the children she cared for but also on her own family.

  • Each of her children grew in their own creative directions: her oldest son, born with perfect pitch, could hear a song and play it instantly on piano, clarinet, or oboe, later becoming a programmer who worked on space launches and now teaches bridge at a national level. Her second son became a singer and dancer, eventually finding his calling in Los Angeles as a production designer for film and TV, designing memorable sets like the famous “Poodle Car” in Dumb and Dumber. Her oldest daughter is a dedicated teacher in Anchorage, working closely with children who have special needs, while another son manages the Canby Pool, guiding countless swimmers and teams. Her younger son works in graphic design and printing, and her youngest daughter—fluent in Spanish and Japanese—has carried her love of teaching across languages and cultures.

    Today, Mina and her husband live in Aurora, Oregon, surrounded by their large and loving family of 20 grandchildren and 5 great-grandchildren. She still meets regularly with mothers from her daycare years and stays in touch with many of the children she once cared for. Through it all, Mina’s passion for singing, storytelling, and art continues to shine—creative threads that have woven through every stage of her life and now find expression in the music, books, and crafts she shares with the world.