Siv "Judy" Irene Eriksson

Siv Irene Eriksson, (known as Judy to her friends) born June 11, 1931, passed away peacefully on February 28, 2022, from Cardiovascular Disease resulting in Vascular Dementia. Siv was born and raised in Stockholm Sweden in a small apartment along with her parents and two of her siblings. She was always a very social & talkative person - her older brother Curt once offered her money (5 Kronor, a lot at the time) if she could stay quiet for 5 minutes. She did not get the money. She immigrated to America from Sweden in the late 40s living with & working for her mother’s Cousin at his bakery in Winnetka, IL. She received room & board but no pay for all the work she did at the bakery. Harold Jensen, who worked part time at the bakery building pallets, offered her a place to stay until she could find a paying job. She stayed with Harold and his wife Inga while she looked for work. Because of Harold Jensen, she was able to secure employment at Zengler Dry Cleaning and eventually move into her first apartment. Harold and Inga Jensen helped her out of a bad situation and gave her the love and friendship she needed to live on her own. While she was still at the bakery, Siv met a young family friend, Norman Bickel, on a visit to Wisconsin and credited him with helping her learn English. She always appreciated his patience and friendship. Siv had many different jobs which suited her life at the time. She was an assistant to a photographer in Sweden. She had worked in a bakery, on a farm, at a restaurant, at a dry cleaner, in a nursing home, as “one of the nice cooks” with her good friend Shirley Gacki at Edison Elementary School, and in Central Files at Crane Packing Co. under her boss and very good friend, Nancy Sykes. Siv always had many good friends. Most called her Judy after her favorite actress - Judy Garland. She was a kind, loving and, very loyal friend, always concerned about others. Her close friend and neighbor from Stockholm, Gunnel (Fernström) Lundquist, joined Siv in the USA in the 50s. They stayed close all through their lives. Gunnel’s husband Alf and Siv’s husband Folke actually came to the USA on the same ship back in the late 50s. A favorite story was about an adventure to Canada. Siv bought an old beater car and she and Gunnel (not knowing where they were going or what they would do when they got there) drove up to Canada for fun. Gunnel was not old enough to drink but they were resourceful. Siv met her husband Folke at the Swedish club in Chicago and were married in 1961. They lived in an apartment in the Rogers Park neighborhood on the Northside of Chicago. Siv (who had a twin brother, Leif) had her own set of twins in December of 1962. In 1964 they moved to Morton Grove, a growing suburb just north of the City. The neighborhood kids loved to come over and enjoy some of her Swedish Pancakes with lingonberries! She met a very kind woman, Lydia Otten, in the neighborhood who became a very close friend & confidant. They shared the ups and downs of life with often daily conversations throughout their lives. In the late 60s, her good friend Norman Bickel’s wife Shirley invited the family up to their home in Wisconsin for a visit. They had no idea that they would start a friendship that would last forever. Siv considered Shirley as a sister and loved her children as her Nieces and Nephews. After all the children were grown, Siv & Shirley continued to take vacation trips together to enjoy museums, shopping and restaurants! Siv was very proud of her Swedish heritage and often talked about Stockholm and her family there. She had 3 full siblings (Leif, Miriam & Bjorn) and 3 half-siblings (Curt, Elsie & Carl-Erik) from her parent’s previous relationships. She met her brother Carl-Erik for the first time in 2007 with the help of his granddaughter, Carolina. Siv & Folke enjoyed some wonderful vacations together like Hawaii and Las Vegas. They enjoyed picnics, trips to Gunnel & Alf Lundquist’s lake home in Three Lakes, and visits to Norman & Shirley Bickel's farm in Oconto, Wisconsin. Siv & Folke celebrated Swedish traditions - especially Christmas Eve dinner. A wonderful Julbord was shared with Gunnel & Alf including Swedish ham, potato sausage, meatballs, pickled herring -most of the traditional goodies - Lutefisk too (well, only some of us enjoyed that). Her loving and giving heart grew even more when her Grandchildren (Mark, Chrissie & Kelsey) were born. She made sure she was a big part of their lives taking them to the park, the zoo, to McDonalds and out for ice cream (the “essentials”). She was at every birthday, dance recital, graduation and many of the sporting events. Siv would often sing through her day. She loved simple things like a hot cup of coffee and sweet treat, lunch with a friend, and good conversation. She had a great sense of humor and even in her later years liked to joke about squirrel hunting and other inside jokes. She loved books - mysteries especially. She very much enjoyed television, detective and mystery shows like “Murder She wrote” and comedies like “the Carol Burnett Show”. She loved old time radio shows and films from the 40’s and 50’s. Siv was never pretentious, always caring, & compassionate. She taught her children caring and empathy. She loved her children & Grandchildren more than anything. She was most concerned with knowing everyone was taken care of and that they were “reasonably” happy. She understood that life does not come without pain. She wanted relationships to continue with our American family (Bickels & Lundquists) and also her Swedish family. Many of which we are just getting to know now thanks to social media. Her Swedish heritage meant a lot to her, she often talked about Springtime in Stockholm. Siv loved Springtime. She loved forget-me-nots, lilacs, lily of the valley, violets, & geraniums, just to name a few. Birch trees especially reminded her of Sweden. She enjoyed little restaurants with a lake or garden view, coffee & cookies, shopping and finding that special cute item. She loved cats and little pigs. It really was the small things that made her happy. Siv was preceded in death by her parents, Carl-Erik Larsson & Karin Iris Larsson, Her siblings Curt Broberg, Elsie Olsson, Carl-Erik Olofsson, Leif Larsson, Miriam Larsson & Bjorn Larsson. She is survived by her loving husband, Folke Eriksson, Son Mark Eriksson, Daughter Mary Peterson (Douglas), Grandchildren, Mark (Claudia), Christina (Daniel), and Kelsey. We would like to thank the caring team at Agrace Hospice in Fitchburg, WI and the caregivers at Four Winds Lodge in Verona, WI. They helped keep Siv comfortable through her decline. Their kindness and compassion was so greatly appreciated. There will be a private gathering for a Celebration of Life in Madison, WI at a later date. In Siv’s memory, please consider making a contribution to one of these great organizations: The Salvation Army (USA or Sweden) The Alzheimer& Dementia Alliance of Wisconsin: https://www.alzwisc.org/donate Agrace Hospice: https://www.agrace.org/donate/donate-today/