Eulogy 

Most of my immediate family have passed, as have her close friends, and our extended family live in Scandinavia and Europe. So, for those of you that did not get to meet her my mother was an amazing woman. She grew up in the 1920's and 30's in a large farming family on a tiny island in Denmark. With the effects of The Great Depression still palpable and a world war looming, she left home at 14 to make her way on her own. She moved to Copenhagen, worked at odd jobs, lived in both France and Italy as an au pair, and eventually gravitated toward medicine. In those days, however, female physicians were exceedingly rare and with little support system around, she put herself through nursing school. With this path, she inspired me to pursue a career in medicine. I remember well my mother explaining the OR scenes in MASH, inadvertently making Haweye Pierce a role model.

In the 50's and 60's, now as a registered nurse, she jumped at every opportunity to travel. She moved to Canterbury, England for several years, then went on to South Korea with the Red Cross outside of Seoul. She worked in Beirut, Lebanon in relief efforts when it was still considered the Paris of the Middle East. She finally ended up in Southern California where she became head surgical nurse at Cedars-Sinai medical center in Los Angeles. She would tell me stories of her favorite patients, including the celebrities of the time, like Don Knotts and John Wayne--and also of her least favorite patients like Groucho Marx, who apparently made multiple passes at her.

In the mid-60's,my mother met my Norwegian father at a Scandinavian ski club meeting in LA, married, moved to Newport Beach, had me, and retired from nursing. She became a mom with style and dignity that even as teenagers my friends would note; she never liked make-up but she was always perfectly dressed, she would never have been caught in a pair of yoga pants. She hosted huge dinner parties for which she exclusively cooked, she took art courses, French lessons, sailed. She helped run our avocado and orange grove business. Even at 83 she did tai chi and walked 3 miles a day. She lived between Chatham, Cape Cod and Newport Beach,California for years, taking impeccable care of both houses while handling my irascible father.

Most of all my mother took care of me and my father, 

and later she took care of Hunter. She was truly the most nonjudgmental person I have ever met. I used to say that even if I married an axe murderer, she would stand by me at the altar. She rarely spoke ill of anyone, and I can only really remember having a serious disagreement with her on two occasions in my entire life. She truly defined unconditional love

Sadly, this is the second time I have had to say goodbye to her, the first when she was in the throes of Alzheimer's disease, and now at her funeral, and it doesn't get any easier. The last five years of her life were not good, and it saddens me greatly that that will be the impression of those who met her recently. She would certainly never have wanted it that way. She was the best mother I could ever imagine, and she was my best friend..but as sad as the occasion is she always loved a good cocktail party, so here's to you, mom

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