Hey!!
Today I was suddenly thinking of the pupils of my class in primer school in Pansio.
Very first I remembered Taru Rauha. Taru came to our class in the middle of the first year in 1957. Her family had just moved to Finland from Africa. I remember the very first day after school when I met Taru crying on the school-yard . I asked her what's wrong and she answered that she could not find her home because all the houses look the same! I cant remember how we found her home but we did.
Taru was very humble and quiet girl. I never got know her better, but she came to my mind often during all the years and decades. We went to different upper schools after 4 years. I never met her after that.
So today I Googled the name Taru Rauha and I got this!!
Rest in piece Taru.
My condolences to her family.

Lilja Suomalainen (born Rantanen)

It took me a while to figure out this is where colleagues were remembering Taru! I had the pleasure of speaking with Taru on two occasions over Zoom. She had so much sage advice and curiosity to pass on to a new colleague. Our conversations were jolly and full of mischief. I taught her my tricks for keeping the devil at bay, and she taught me so much about her time at the Library. It was not a fair trade. I would have loved to get to know you better, Taru!

I was stunned to hear of Taru's death. It was always a delight to meet up with her at Mensa gatherings. She will be missed by many.

Kiitos Taru yhteisistä hetkistämme. Lepää rauhassa.

Ilkka

I miss you! Kim

My deepest sympathy to the family. Such a wonderful woman to know during my time at the Library of Congress.

It was many years ago that I met Taru in the Scandinavian “lunch group “ that got together occasionally for food, festivals, and conversation.

She was such an “atypical “ Finn: always talkative, outgoing, and lively! So warm and caring; such a joyous person! We are all happier for having known her in any capacity.

Voi hyvin Taru, rauhallinen matka

Such a wonderful soul.

Taru hired me as a Junior Fellow at the Library in 2003, and thus launched me on my career at the LC. Her decision changed my life, and I am deeply grateful. It was always so lovely to see her in the halls and I was touched that she remembered so much about me after so many years. As these tributes make clear, she touched so many and will be so, so missed.

“Things falling apart is a kind of testing and also a kind of healing. We think that the point is to pass the test or to overcome the problem, but the truth is that things don’t really get solved. They come together and they fall apart. Then they come together again and fall apart again. It’s just like that. The healing comes from letting there be room for all of this to happen: room for grief, for relief, for misery, for joy.”
― Pema Chödrön, When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times

I met Taru in 2015 because I wanted to learn Finnish. She was the only person at the Library who knew Finnish. Who knew a cup of earl grey tea and an hour or so of just talking about Moomins and random Finnish things would start a long friendship taht extended outside of work. A friendship that blossomed into me calling her my aunt and her calling me her niece. No topic was ever off limits between us and we would laugh for what seemed like forever. I always wondering if people in her office were annoyed with me or just got used to tuning us out. Thanks Grant for letting me sneak in and hog her time. Taru was one a mentor, a friend, an saver of lives, and my täti. I will always carry her in my spirit. Thank you so much Taru. I wouldn't be here without you. Moi moi.

Taru, I will miss you so much. I miss our dinners our emails and our chats.
You always made me laugh. You were so supportive during my divorce. Our love of books and our Scandinavian heritage gave us a lot in common. And you always had or could find answers to any of my questions.
You always had such a positive impact on me,
I will always remember you.

Anytime that Taru came to visit us in the African, Latin American and Western European (ALAWE) Division was an absolute treat. She had such a warm and sunny disposition that you immediately felt like you were at home with an ole friend enjoying a cup of coffee. She was always friendly, kind, humble and patient. Taru enjoyed sharing her knowledge with you and you always left feeling wiser on some topic or another. I share my colleagues deep appreciation of her as a person and know what a deep hole she has left in the institution and in the hearts of family and friends that love and will miss her. Aila, you were truly blessed to have a such a beloved mother. My deepest condolences to you and your family. -Monique Graham

Taru worked as a Recommending Officer for the Benelux, France and Italy Section in the ALAWE Division for our Dutch acquisitions. Some words of condolence from her colleagues at Erasmus Boekhandel (Netherlands):

"I am truly so sorry to hear this and can only imagine what a shockwave this has sent though the library. She truly was a passionate librarian and we send our deepest condolences." (Joleen McFarlane)

"I am very sorry to learn about Taru’s passing away. Please convey my deepest sympathy to her family and friends. 
I cannot imagine the impact it must have on the team at the Library of Congress. Wishing you all strength to overcome this loss.
Taru was an esteemed librarian who knew [what] she wanted.
At Erasmus, we will remember her as one of the people who made it possible that we started working with you for Flanders and the Netherlands. 
For that we continue to be grateful.
Please accept my condolences" (Dirk Raes)

Like everyone else, I was shocked and saddened to hear of Taru's passing. It just doesn't seem real. I worked in acquisitions and then collection development at the Library of Congress for 31 years, and interacted with Taru for at least the last 20 of those years. She was unfailingly pleasant and always had an impish smile. I loved her dry and witty sense of humor, and she was always patient and kind. Taru, I will miss you!

Taru was a very special friend. I loved her insightful and nuanced wit and sense of humor, her deep kindness, thoughtfulness, and concern for those around her. She had a keen sense of fairness and did not hesitate to speak up in support of others who she felt had been mistreated. I saw the way she treated others and also felt her measured support and counsel when I needed it, even if I didn't ask for it. She noticed and let me know! It was such a gift in a friend. I loved having lunch with her, going to film versions of the opera, and laughing with her on the phone. As someone with a knowledge of Danish, I loved hearing her thoughts on Scandinavian humor, history and sensibilities, her comments about Finnish culture and modes of expression. I was always enlightened by her mind, her experiences, and her stories, never boastful, but communicated with feeling and good humor. In late August, we emailed that we looked forward to a lunch together, once we could be out and about more freely this fall. But that was not to be. I think of her often and miss her deeply. I send warm greetings of healing and renewal to her family, who she adored. 

It is impossibly hard to accept Taru's passing.
Coming to work and seeing Taru’s cubicle next to mine, with her things awaiting…
Just few weeks ago Taru started cleaning her office in preparation for possible retirement, we were laughing when she was giving away some accumulated “treasures”. I will keep this last memory of her in my mind. 
She was always so supportive whenever I was stressed about work, always made time to listen and give good advice, and so cheerful regardless her own health issues. Not sure how to deal with her passing.
Regina

Taru was a valued colleague and beloved friend, not only to me but to scores of people throughout the Library of Congress and well beyond. After I retired in July 2019, we remained in touch and communicated weekly via email or phone. I will miss her amazing sense of humor and her tales of working in several units at the Library (Copyright, the Kluge Center, the Veterans' History Project, Library Services administrative office, as well as the European Division). Her contributions to the Guild, the Library's union for non-managerial professional staff, were substantial and very important in advancing a fairer workplace.

My sympathy goes to her family and to those who like myself valued her as a close friend. I will miss her for the rest of my life.

I have known Taru at least 50 years and I just loved her great sense of humor and knowledge of all things Finnish ad Scandinavian. We didn't spend a lot of time together, but did go to lunch often and enjoyed each others company. We met at a Finlandis Foundation meeting and hit it off right away. Our girls were dancing in the children's dance group and we were both singing in the choir. I had just come home from Finland this sept 9th and on the 10th I called her and again a day later and when there was no answer, I decided to GOogle her in case she had changed tel. numbers, but instead I found the obituary, which made me very sad indeed. She was my only good Finnish friend in this country, who also could speak Swedish and we had a lot of fun with the Finglish and Swenglish. She was a good friend and I miss her.

Dear Taru,
I loved you.
Sybille Jagusch

Taru and I were friends since we were both in the Copyright Office of the Library, getting together for birthday lunch celebrations with Peter Kearney and going together to Weightwatchers on our lunch time to try to lose weight. I can still remember sitting in the visitor’s chair in her Examiner’s cubicle - and both of us laughing until we couldn’t catch our breath - about something, I don’t remember what. But that image is an example of the humor we all remember when we speak of Taru. 

Our friendship during work times was in the Copyright Office, but she and I both left Examining about the same time - she to Reference, I to the Copyright Automation Group. She invited me and my son, Geoff (in grade school then, as I recall) to her house for dinner, where we met Aila. Aila and Geoff became friends, Aila later showing the same kindness and caring toward Geoff that we all talk of when we speak of her mom.

I retired a long time ago, but Taru and I made a point to get together for the conversation and laughs we loved. When we were both more mobile, I’d take the Metro in to meet Taru for lunch, and a couple of times she took off from work and we met in DC at a movie theatre. Once, like kids, we decided to see two movies, and we had a quick sandwich dinner between the two shows. The last time we got together like that, she came into Virginia on the Metro, I picked her up, and we went for dinner and a movie.

After that we’d email and say we should get together, but ... I guess we both let life get in the way. The last time I saw her was in 2018, I think, when I schlepped into LC to get some poems for my poetry month Avenue poems. I popped over and saw her workspace in Reference for the first time, and I got take-out to sit and have lunch with her in her cubicle. We looked out that window next to her desk that overlooked the courtyard in that beautiful building, and Taru made me feel so welcome - that she was so excited to see me - just as everyone said she was with them. She made us all feel special. 

Our time together was never enough. Never enough. I can’t think Taru is gone. She lives on in my memories and in everyone she touched. Rest in peace, Taru. You left too soon. And you’re still here.

Taru was a special person. I met her through a mutual friend and liked her immediately. She had an amazing intellect and was fun to be around because of her sense of humor! We tried to learn how to play bridge! She dropped out early-too smart to stay at something she didn’t enjoy!!! She was a generous and kind leader who will be greatly missed! My sympathies to her family.

Taru was my friend and I will miss her. A brilliant mind and a quick wit such as hers are a loss to the world. We worked and laughed together and she leaves a hole in the tapestry of my friends. I am blessed that I knew her. She was a special person who brought a sparkle to any gathering lucky enough to have her present.

Hearing all the heartfelt words from Taru’s friends and family, I find it hard to believe she is gone—those words describe the vibrant person she was, and having retired several years ago, I will only remember her that way, still a force in the spirit of the Library of Congress.
My condolences to her family.

There is nobody like Taru. I have known her as a friend and colleague for 25 years. When I was young and had no money for a wedding reception she offered up her backyard and cleared out her living room to host the gathering. Over the years at work and especially over email we shared countless jokes and ruminations on life and its absurdities. She was universally liked and appreciated as someone who could always laugh at herself, while being incredibly sensitive to others and always genuine in conversations. When I think of all the people who will be saddened and will sincerely miss her each day it makes me hope there is a way for her to know and feel how much she is missed by so many people. She gave so much of herself to everyone she interacted with. I will always feel lucky to have had her in my life and I will always remember her wonderful laugh.

As others have already said so well, Taru’s wisdom and shining intellect were matched by her warmth, great love for all her family and friends, support for colleagues, and unswerving defense of workers’ rights. Always ready to employ her astonishing array of skills to assist others, she once completed an illustrated brochure for a work project of mine while I was at lunch. Just a few weeks ago, I made a passing comment to her about being disappointed that a Library program I wanted to attend was scheduled for a major Jewish holiday, and Taru took it upon herself to contact a manager and gain a promise to do better next time.
Taru’s organization, editing, and production of the wonderful illustrated blogs for the European Division and the Library’s 4 Corners of the World blog series -- including several she authored herself, a biography of Queen Christina of Sweden among them -- are an enduring record of her creativity, mental agility, broad interests and knowledge, and technical skill. And I have always marveled at her totally colloquial, unaccented American English, considering that she came to this country as an adult.
It was always such a joy to receive Taru’s funny and insightful messages, and thanks to my rarely cleaning out my email, I can share some here. First, here are a few subject lines from articles she forwarded to me in recent years: 
“Finland library installs karaoke booth” (BBC News);
“LC wins ‘Fanciest (Women's) Restroom on the Mall’ Accolade!”;
"A French Worker Died After Sex on a Business Trip. His Company Is Liable" (NY Times). 
And here are some remarks from Taru …
On the birth of a colleague’s baby, named Sam, Taru wrote: “Next baby shower, you know it’ll be: Sam, oh Sam, oh Sam, I am, I do not like green eggs and ham.”
About editing a blog post: “Over my long life, wish I’d edited more in my head as well as in real life. [smiley face]”
On teleworking and being home all the time during the pandemic: 
“I got special dispensation for telework after submitting the paperwork to health services. Something good about being old and fat, HA! … Might as well enjoy working from home rather than retiring. Still need to clean out my office, too… Listening to a lot of Metopera.org. Even splurged on Metopera on demand. Very cathartic. Everybody ends up dead in a pile on the floor.”
“I’m going to declare this Moomintroll Day after my favorite children’s books, lol!”
“Is it foggy over there? Enjoying yet a new vista from my, fortunately large, glass door to the glassed-in balcony. Right now it’s sort of a Wagnerian mist. At night with the lights from Georgia Ave., I pretend that it’s Monaco or Lake Geneva out there.”
“All the best to you and ‘everyone who is in your house’ as an old Finnish song puts it. This includes animals. [smiley face]”

Taru, you were one of the most genuine and knowledgeable people at LC. Your guidance helping newbies navigate the often confusing bureaucracy and ~unique~ way the government works was invaluable, and I'll never forget your constant support and cheerleading. You found humor in everything and I loved listening to your stories. I am sorry we never got to have that lunch together. I am so grateful to have had you as a friend and colleague. You are deeply missed and always will be. <3

Dear Tarooski. I am going to miss you so much.

No one was more fun or more sane to work with than Taru. After years of battling the beast of government service, she had managed to find her place in helping others, sometimes with guild advice, but also just with her kindness and willingness to listen. She loved a good story and always had some of her own to share. After a year and a half of teleworking, I had the great good fortune of seeing her at work two weeks before she died and it was like no time had passed at all. We just starting chatting and laughing like always.

I must confess to Aila and the rest of her family that I am the one who got her hooked on those ugly handbags! Taru was so approachable that we could (and did) talk about all sorts of things, even silly purses. I have a long list of books to read based on her recommendations, and she read some of my recommendations too. We recently shared a few curse words over a series we thought was going to wrap up with the 7th novel, but ended with the author deciding to drag the story out for 2 more novels, so we would have to wait for several more years to get an explanation. I will have to read them for both of us now. Although I did not know of her Agatha Christie obsession, I did know of her fondness for regency romances and anything about European royal families. Who else on the planet cared about some Montenegrin princesses?

Taru was so well-read and her knowledge was vast, but I am so very proud that I introduced her to the fine genre of bonnet rippers! We each read one and then moved on, but the laughter they induced kept cropping up over the years. Always thoughtful of others, she somehow remembered that my father was an opera buff, so she kept me apprised of the latest opera news, including both of us drooling a bit over Hvorostovsky, the Siberian Silver Fox. Without Taru, I would have gone through life completely ignorant of Moomin world. She told me many Moomin stories and gave me updates as she was decorating her Moomin room at home, laughing with glee one day as she discovered window curtains, or was it a Moomin shower curtain? I can't remember, but she was truly having a blast scouring the Internet for Moomins. I once gave her a Little My keychain and she just 2 weeks ago gave me a little blue Moomin from her office as a keepsake. I will keep it always to remind myself what Taru had already learned - to find joy in all things and all people.

Work is not going to be nearly as enjoyable without you, Taru, but thanks for the memories and for being such a great colleague and friend.

There is nothing I can add to the previous tributes. Anyone who knew or worked with Taru was touched by her charity, her wisdom and her humor. My friendship with her was enriching and lasting. I know of no more honorable legacy.

Taru! I am shocked and saddened by your passing. You were one of my favorite people in all of the European division when I was a Junior Fellow and my heart was so full when I got hired at LC in the Russia Section 3 years later and you still remembered me. You were such a genuine person. You were darkly funny, bluntly honest, and a fierce friend and defender of those in need. I'm truly sorry I hadn't reached out to you since Harry's retirement party. I didn't realize time was running out. I hope you are at peace and I give all my condolences to your friends and family. You will be truly missed. ❤

Dear dear Taru. Why did you leave us so soon? Taru was my neighbor on the Penthouse level of Fairways. She enjoyed her work too much. I spoke with her 3 weeks ago... she looked tired and frazzled I always tried to include her into events with my small group of friends. She was getting ready to join us for a crab feast. She was the life of the party for our New Years Eve celebration. She even gifted all ten of us with glittery headbands. She could socialize with the best of us. She loved her cat , Elsie. I hope that she is enjoying her heavenly rewards. Oh I forgot....she was Amazon’s best customer!
Taru....I miss you.
I will be posting a picture of her front door in a few minutes. The wreath that is on it she made.

Gone but not forgotten