Kalle Edvard Mäkinen was born 21 May 1882 in Tevaniemi Village, Ikaalinen, Västra Finland. His mother was Maria Sofia (née Gustafsdotter Uljas) Forsberg (born 29 September 1840 at Ikaalinen, who was 41 years old when her son was born). His father was unknown but he had a half-sister, Hilma Josefina, b. 20 July 1871 (christened 23 July)¹, whose father was Matts Forsberg. His mother had married Matts Mattsson Forsberg 8 December 1861 at Ikaalinen. He also had a sister, Rosa, b. 30 August 1862, and a sister, Hilma Julantha, b. 3 February 1866, but she died in infancy. Mr. Forsberg died 29 June 1874, leaving Kalles' mother a widow.

Kalle Edvard Makinen was married 17 November 1903 in the vicarage of Ikaalinen by vicar H.G. von Bonsdorff to Ida Nieminen (daughter of Juho Nieminen, she was born 3 June 1880).

At the time of their marriage, Kalle was a farm hand and Ida was a maid at the same farm. They had a son, Paavo Edvard, b. 30 August 1904 (d. 1930), and a daughter, Lempi Maria, b. 5 August 1908 (d. 1920).   They lived at Vahojarvi village in Ikaalinen county where Kalle seems to have had his own smallholding.

He travelled to the Glassport, Pennsylvania in 1905, where he had a friend, a John Nieminen (likely a brother or uncle of his wife). He returned to Finland in 1907 but stayed only a few years and then went back to the USA again. He sailed from Southampton, England, 24 November 1909 as a steerage (i. e. third class) passenger on the steamer Adriatic and arrived in New York 6 December 1909 (5 December?). He was described as a married labourer aged 28 and his last place of permanent residence was Ikalinen (Ikalis), Finland, where his wife Ida lived at Wahrjärven Klä (?). He was again bound for Glassport, Pennsylvania. He was 5’10’’ tall, had brown hair and blue eyes.

After his second visit to the USA, he yet again returned to Finland at some point and decided to go back to the USA a third time. In 1912, he was on his way to Glassport, Pennsylvania, by way of Hangö and Southampton.

According to the church register of Ikaalainen Kalle Makinen drowned in the sea in 15th April 1912 in the wreck of Titanic. His body was never found.

His widow Ida received compensation of £250. 

After the disaster, Ida Makinen lived alone with her children until 1918 when she was married to a considerably younger man. She died in 1936 of heart disease. Her children had died even earlier without their own children.