Ellen Aune

Ellen Aune passed away peacefully at her home in Bellingham, Washington on Monday, October 14, 2013 at the age of 84. She was born to Gulveig and Knud in Oslo, Norway in 1929.

As a young child Ellen experienced first hand the 5-year German occupation of Norway during World War II. Ellen had a remarkable memory, and she could recall in vivid detail the air-sirens, the bartering for goods, family holidays in the countryside, her experiences with schooling during the war years, sightings of the Norwegian Royal Family, amongst other experiences during the war. She grew up surrounded by Oslo’s vibrant theater community, a community within which both her father and her mother were actively involved, her father as a singer, and her mother as a receptionist. As she got older she often helped her father, who was a baker by day, by delivering Kringler all over Oslo, including to renowned members of the theater community.

Upon completion of her education at Oslo’s Handelsgymnas, Ellen worked for Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS) before joining several former classmates in Paris, France to work as an au pair. Before returning home, she continued to create life-long memories via a backpacking through Europe. Upon Ellen’s return to Oslo she worked for an import company in Oslo for several years as an accountant. When she was ready for more travel she took a job as a stewardess onboard a brand new Norwegian cargo ship that took 12 passengers. She sailed between Western Europe and the east coast of the United States for 16 months. This was how she first became familiar with the States. Ellen was a well-liked and respected colleague and upon her return to Oslo, she was re-hired at the import company she had worked at previously.

The travel bug and Ellen’s love of adventure, however, had not left her. In the early 1960’s she emigrated to the United States. Ellen first lived in Anaheim, California and worked for a family as an au pair. Once her contract was up she starting working as an accountant for the May Company Department Store in downtown Los Angeles.

While working in Los Angeles, Ellen met her future husband, Einar (Trønderlag, Norway), at the Norwegian Seaman's Church in San Pedro. A year after their marriage Ellen became a full-time homemaker with the arrival of their son, Glenn. Three years later their daughter, Lynn, was born. In the 1970’s the entire family moved to Norway with the intent of settling there permanently. It was easy for Einar to find work in Norway, but property for building a home was not so easy to come by, hence the family returned to the U.S. and settled in Washington, a state known for having similar scenery to Norway and a large Scandinavian community.

Einar and Ellen had a home built in Seattle where they enjoyed living for 22 years. As retirement approached, and with both increasing building activity and traffic congestion, they decided to retire in a more peaceful and quite place and decided that the Bellingham, Washington area would be perfect. They found a lovely piece of land upon which they built a new home after Einar retired in the mid-90s.

Ellen loved to share information and tips that she thought others might find useful. She was especially proud of her Norwegian heritage and was enthusiastic about sharing Norwegian customs. Ellen was a charter member of two Daughters of Norway lodges in Washington: Burien’s Solveig Lodge #31 and Bellingham’s Nellie Gerdrum Lodge #41. She enjoyed providing translation services, baked Norwegian goods for bazaars (Ellen is fondly remembered by friends and family for her delicious Norwegian waffles and lefse), taught Norwegian, and shared Norwegian traditions and recipes via her contributions to the Døtre av Norge (Daughters of Norway) newsletters.

Ellen enjoyed sewing and knitting, and she created many practical and beautiful things. Her creations were high quality and precise. She was also passionate about many causes and current events, and she often wrote letters to the editor of local newspapers. Ellen was proud of the fact that every letter she ever wrote to a newspaper editor appeared in print. She wrote about a range of topics from equality, to bicyclist safety, to the Middle East. In those letters her witty sense of humor often came to the surface, a sense of humor she possessed until the day she passed, bringing smiles to those around her.

Ellen loved her family dearly. She is survived by, and will be so very greatly missed by: Lynn (daughter), Glenn (son), Alice (daughter-in-law), and Joy (step-grand-daughter), Inge (brother-in-law), Odney (sister-in-law), numerous nieces, nephews, and extended family in Norway.

She is preceded in death by: her husband Einar; parents Gulveig & Knud; her brother Per; sister-in-laws Ilse, Solbjørg, Kirsten, Åsta, & Else; brother-in-laws Erling, Alf, Lars, Hans, & Olav; and nephew Anders.

Hvil i fred, Ellen. (Rest in Peace.)

******* Thank you to Whatcom Hospice, PeaceHealth St. Joseph Cancer Center, the office of Drs Oswald & Vander Giessen, and many others who touched our mother’s life and helped to ensure her comfort.

Donations in memoriam may be made in Ellen’s name to your favorite charity.