1927-2023
On Wednesday February 8, my dear aunt Britta Willman sadly passed away. Menlo Park was her home for more than 60 years. The last 3 years of her life she spent at Brookside Skilled Nursing in San Mateo, where she went to rest.
Britta was born on 23rd of April 1927 in the Swedish-speaking area of Finland by the westcoast. In the early 50s she and her husband, Enok Willman, took off for a different type of future in the U.S. Some years later they moved on to Bay Area to join people they knew from the Old Country. In Menlo Park they created the life of their dreams.They bought their own house in 1960. In their loving hands it turned into the sweetest little house surrounded by a flowering garden. They were also active members of Order of Runeberg, keeping in touch with others from the same area. Despite the distance, both Britta and Enok were close to their families in Finland. Many of us have visited them in Menlo Park. My aunt was a sharp-minded and independent lady, so after Enok passed away in 2002, she insisted on staying. She loved the climate, her home and all the small things she was used to. She would not miss a baseball game nor a golf tournament. And the politicians would have had a lot to learn from her, if they only had heard her comments! For almost two more decades she stayed in her house with the help from neighbors, friends and family coming from Finland every year.
Now, an era has come to its end. But, the good memories you gave us will live on. Thank you auntie: Tack för allt. Rest in peace.
Sonja, Britta’s niece