Norwegians that left us in 2018

Norwegians that left us in 2018

VG has gathered stories about some of the remarkable Norwegians that have passed away in 2018. Norway Today shares a brief introduction to the obituaries written by people they affected in their lives.

 

The life she loved

Vibeke Westbye Skofterud

Cross-country skier

April 20, 1980 – July 29, 2018

Vibeke Skofterud was at her happiest that hot summer evening in Southern Norway.

They had so much left to do together. Now, her girlfriend, Marit Stenshorne (44), will complete what they had planned.

Her partner tells the story.

Suddenly bereft of daddy

Hans Kristian Amundsen

Politician and Editor

December 2, 1959 – July 29, 2018

This hot, drowsy July day she had just sent a mobile image of herself to the love of her life, husband Hans Kristian Amundsen. Then the phone rang.

As an all-too-young widow, Karen Marie Berg (38) was standing outside watching the kids’ play. For a few minutes more, they were to be carefree and happy.

What she feared the most.

A «Pushle»

Terje «Pushwagner» Brofos

Artist

May 2, 1940 – April 27, 2018

At the first exhibition, he downed a tea light of liquid stearin in one shot.

Managing Pushwagner could be as demanding as having 50 employees, says Morten Dreyer.

His Assistants story

Mama de Cocina’s own Christmas

Ingrid Espelid Hovig

TV Chef

June 3, 1924 – August 3, 2018

She had no children, but many friends.

When Ingrid Espelid Hovig invited to a Christmas party, the guests knew that it would be a very special experience.

Ingrid’s Christmas.

Then Thorvald Stoltenberg was on the line

Thorvald Stoltenberg

Politician and Diplomat

July 8, 1931 – July 13, 2018

Arild Knutsen was on his way outside to take his own life.

– I’ve lost Nini. I can’t lose you too.

Those were the words that saved Arild’s life.

His friend’s story.

A granddad in life

Jon Michelet

Author and Editor

July 14, 1944 – April 14, 2018

For us others, Jon Michelet was a sea-salt radical and successful author. For his granddaughter Julia (27) he was like an extra father.

When he became mortally sick, he could not tell her.

This is how he conveyed the message.

The surrealistic day

Ida Eide

Cross-country skier

April 3, 1988 – September 2, 2018

When the phone rings and it’s not Ida, but her mother, he immediately understands that something is wrong.

It will be one of the days where everything is hammered into the memory of comedian Nils Ingar Aadne, every single detail.

Read more

The magic that disappeared

Tore Torell

Magician

May 1941 – 7. May 2018

«Everyone» in North Korea recognises the bearded magician, who was flown in for dictator Kim Il-Sung’s birthday.

At the hospital, Tore Torell continued to entertain. When he was to be radiation-treated, he had a very extraordinary wish.

His wife’s story.

The Devil’s Advocate

Tor Erling Staff

Defence lawyer

February 22, 1933 – July 18, 2018

He defended the worst of the worst and enraged half of Norway.

How did Tor Erling Staff respond to the times his wife and children asked him to lie a little lower?

His family’s history.

The Chieftain from Hedmark

Odvar Nordli

Labour Politician and Prime Minister

November 3, 1927 – January 9, 2018

He came from a simple background and became Prime Minister in one of the most demanding epochs in Norwegian politics.

But only those closest knew that Odvar Nordli also fought a private battle – against intense pain.

His daughter’s story.

The saga of her life

Margit Sandemo

Author

April 23, 1924 – September 1, 2018

She had visited death before and had no fear of it.

Old, however, Margit Sandemo didn’t want to be. Was she afraid of losing her fantasies?

Her grandchild tells the saga.

The Miracle Assistant

Bjørn Hansen

Football Coach

January 15, 1939 – April 25, 2018

He was a coaching assistant when Norway beat Brazil in the World Championships and when Rosenborg sent AC Milan packing out of the Champions Leauge.

Was Bjørn Hansen happy to play the second violin?

Daddy’s last words.

A brave Treschow

Mille Marie Treschow

Forrester and businesswoman

April 3, 1954 – September 29, 2018

her younger brother was actually supposed to take over the farm and family estate in Larvik.

But after a tragic accident in 1974 Mille-Marie Treschow was first in line to bring the heritage onwards.

In 1986 she became sole owner of Treschow-Fritzøe AS, after her father. As a private person, she kept a low profile. But as a businesswoman, Mille-Marie Treschow excelled with her fearless, brave style.

Read more.

The Saboteur

Joachim Rønneberg

War Hero

August 30, 1919 – October 21, 2018

23 years old Joachim Rønneberg was chosen to lead the most successful sabotage action in Norway during WW II.

Only after the war did the heavy water saboteurs from Vemork understand how important it was to stop the German plans for nuclear weapons, says his friend Ragnar Ulstein.

Read more.

The Connoisseur

Jahn Otto Johansen

Editor, Correspondent and Author

May 3, 1938 – January 1, 2018

As an Editor and NRK profile, he was a connoisseur with a fat cigar planted in his mouth.

Just on one occasion, Jahn Otto Johansen was really sad, says the woman he shared his life with.

His wife’s story.

The Theater-Mink

Minken Fosheim

Actor

March 20, 1956 – June 7, 2018

For more than 20 years, she has run a children’s and youth theatre at home on the ground floor.

What did Minken Fosheim do when someone came to pick up her theatrical talents for children’s roles?

Her son’s story.

Noodle King

Lee Chul-ho «Mr Lee»

Chef and Noodle Entrepreneur

April 3, 1954 – September 29, 2018

Chul Ho Lee came to Norway as a refugee in 1954, after having been injured in a grenade attack in the Korean War. later, he trained as a chef in Switzerland and in Norway – and became Mr Lee.

Mr Lee was best known for introducing noodles to the Norwegian market. He was also honoured with the King’s Order of Merit in 2004 for his long-standing commitment to Norwegian Korea veterans.

Read on.

Norway’s «Raymon»

Øivind «Raymon» Johannessen

Comedian

October 4, 1950 – September 23, 2018

Comedian and Vaudeville Actor, Øivind Johannessen, was first known as an Elvis impersonator.

With the vaudeville group «Tre Kæll», he made more than 1000 performances in Østfold. Loved by the whole of Norway he became with the character Raymon from Fredrikstad.

Read more.

«The Wanderer»

Terje «The Wanderer» Larsen

Burglar

August 22, 1958 – May 10, 2018

Under the nickname «The Wanderer» Terje Larsen was Norway’s most famous cabin burglar, convicted of breaking into more than 650 cabins.

For prolonged periods, «The Wanderer» lived alone in the Norwegian Mountain world, as a master of hiding. During his most extensive cabin raid in Gudbrandsdalen in 2001, he had helicopters and large police forces after him. In May, he was found severely injured in a cabin in Vestre Toten municipality. He later died of those injuries.

Read on.

The Red Lawyer

Harald Stabell

Lawyer

January 16, 1947 – December 15, 2018

Harald Stabell was one of Norway’s most famous and respected lawyers.

He was defending a number of profiled criminal cases and had, among others, Arne Treholt, Per Orderud and Stein Lillevolden on his list of clients. Stabell was also politically engaged. In the 1970s, he was politically active in AKP (Marxist-Leninists). In recent years, he partook in petitions for Red Election Alliance. In 2009, he was on Red’s parliamentary list for Oslo.

The red lawyer.

Frontrunner

Bjørg Vik

Author and Feminist

September 11, 1935 – January 7, 2018

As a child, she was set to do chores while her brother was outside playing.

As mother and feminist writer Bjørg Vik turned the roles she had grown up with upside down on.

The children’s tale.

Hagerup the younger

Klaus Hagerup

Author

March 5, 1946 – December 20, 2018

The mother was an author, his father wrote children’s books. With that background, there was no way that Klaus Hagerup would become an author.

”A more sordid profession I could hardly imagine,” he said.

With a background as a young radical in the Socialist Youth League, together with Tron Øgrim and Pål Steigan, Hagerup became best known for the books about Markus Simonsen and the film adaptations where he also had roles. In 1988 he wrote an open biography of his mother Inger Hagerup. – He has a unique ability to convey the child and youth perspective insightfully, credibly, tenderly, and very often wonderfully humorous, the jury wrote when Hagerup was awarded the Brage Awards Honorary Prize in 2018.

Read more.

Letter to the children

Vera Micaelsen

Program Director and Author

December 4, 1974 – October 28, 2018

The Program Director and Author, Vera Micaelsen, has for many decades been loved by children and young people.

Some of the last she did before she died, was writing a letter to the youngest.

Read on.

© VG / #Norway Today