Petter Holger Svenkerud

Petter Holger Svenkerud, 89, of Laguna Niguel, passed away Monday, October 15, 2018 surrounded by family in his beloved home. He is survived by the love of his life, Ricki, who took exceptional care of him in his later years, and his children Sigve, Tara, and Peter; two grandchildren, Sigve Friedle and Maeve Svenkerud, and Sigves wife, Caragh OConnor. Born September 26, 1929, in Nesbyen, Norway, to Berglijot Eide Svenkerud and Knut Svenkerud. His younger brother, Sigve Svenkerud, born four years later. Petter's life in Norway was spent on the family farm in Nesyben. They had two mountain cottages, Rudsbu and Fijelset, where they shared good times with family and friends, entertaining themselves with cross country skiing and hiking. One summer, when Petter was 8 or 9 years of age, the whole family rode bicycles from Nesbyen to Vikedal (329.4 km) to visit Berglijot's parents. He told stories of the German's coming to the farm on horseback, having conversation with his parents, some ending with arguments between the officers and Berglijot. His father once hid a radio in the stone wall, which separated the farm from the river. Fortunately, when it was found no harm came to the family. He spent one year in Narvik, with his uncle Torleif, to attend secondary school (13 to 16 years of age). Later he went to live with a relative in Bygdy, so he could attend high school in Oslo. In early 1952 he entered the United States via Ellis Island. He lived with a cousin on the east coast, before coming west. He worked many odd jobs, i.e. climbing oil derricks, before graduating from The American Institute for Foreign Trade, where he met his first wife, Fayne Frater. He moved further west and attended the University of California, Berkeley. In September of 1953 Fayne and Petter married, living in Los Angeles, having three children. He was later to become an accomplished and respected lumber broker, becoming a partner in Far West Fir Sales, Vice President of Universal Forest Products, and owner of Svenco Forest Products. He and Ricki married in August 1995, in Nesbyen. In September 2001 they settled in Laguna Niguel. He loved his home where there were many celebrations and he happily lived the remainder of his life. He made many visits to his homeland and traveled throughout Europe. He had a deep passion for history, culture and the arts. He enjoyed many years of playing bridge, tennis, cycling, skiing, and sailing. Petter loved life, was gracious to those he met and generous to those in need. Our family would like to give special thanks and extend our deepest gratitude to Bradley Tolentino, Leila Canlas and Joel Carreon for their loving and compassionate care giving. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to: Dementia Society of America Post Office Box 600 Doylestown, PA 18901 or: The Fisher Center for Alzheimer's Research Foundation 110 East 42nd Street, 16th Floor New York, NY 10017