Gerd Hvam
Gerd Hvam, formerly of Quinn and Alpine NJ, died peacefully at her home in Minnesota on July 8. From childhood, her only wish was to be a nurse, and she became the youngest member of her nursing class at Aker Hospital in Oslo, where she worked during the diffi- cult years of the German occupation.
After the war, she and her hus- band and two young daughters immigrated to the United States, first to South Dakota and later to New Jersey. Wherever she lived, she filled her days with love and gratitude, making friends every- where. She loved to knit and bake, and the coffeepot was always on at their home next to the Quinn Hos- pital. The years she and her family lived in Quinn were among the happiest of their lives, and they treasured life-long friend- ships from those days.
She wrote her memoirs at the age of 93, and into her late nineties she could be seen on her daily walk in her Alpine neighborhood, often picking up litter as she went.
She was preceded in death by her parents, her brother Arne who was killed in WWII, her husband of fifty years, Dr. Ole Hvam, their son Teddy and daughter-in-law Kitty, daughter of the heart Ann Hermann, and many many other friends. She will be forever missed by her daughters, Marte and Anne, son-in-law Mike, grandson Erik and his wife Jenn, and her great grand-children of whom she was so proud, Leif and Minna. Her life was not without great losses, but she lived with a pure and gen- erous heart, often saying, “I am so happy,” and “I am the luckiest girl in the whole USA.” She sang “You are my Sunshine” and the Norwe- gian national anthem to the care workers at the rehabilitation facil- ity the last month of her life. She was a bright and gentle light all her days, optimistic and delighted with small pleasures.
And although she was 103 years old at her passing, it is quite true to say that in soul and spirit she remained to the end forever young.
