Alvhild Marie Larson

Alvhild was born in Kristiansand, Norway, on September 17, 1925. On February 17, 1930 at age 4 she arrived in New York on the steamship SS Stavangerfjord and immigrated with her parents Herman and Johanne Lien, and brothers and sisters Howard, Anna, Olaf, Gunnar, and Gudrun. The family settled in Stoughton, Wisconsin where she would spend her entire childhood. She loved sharing her favorite stories about her life growing up on the family farm. She frequently told the story of how one year she got to keep a piglet as a pet. In her adult life she amassed a huge collection of pig memorabilia all dedicated to that little pig!

Alvhild married Kenneth Roy Larson in 1944 and moved to Chicago. Shortly afterward they bought a home in Des Plaines where she lived until her death. At dinner with friends, difficulty with her name caused Ken to proclaim “Just call her Mike.” The nickname took so well that many people would only ever know her as “Mike.”

They had two sons, John and David. As a mother she loved tending to her garden, cooking and baking and otherwise making a home for her family. Together they spent long stretches in Isle Royale where she took in the outdoors that she loved. They later bought a condominium in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. There they would entertain all the family with fabulous fishing expeditions to the Bahamas, the Keys, or just offshore. After Ken’s passing, she sold the Ft. Lauderdale property and bought a home in Seattle, Washington. She loved how the Pacific Northwest reminded her of her native Norway.

Alvhild was always an energetic, gregarious, outgoing and generous person. She made many trips to the homestead in Norway, went on an around-the-world cruise, safari in Africa, fishing trips to Canada and Alaska, and too many other travels to mention. At home she never had an empty cookie jar and was always busy with some project. She loved hosting friends and family and having a house full of people. Every new day was something to celebrate, and that was best done with tasty treats! Homemade apple pies, rhubarb cake, Norwegian cookies, pickled herring and even the controversial lutefisk were common delights for guests. Right up to her last Halloween the entire neighborhood knew hers was the house that handed out taffy apples.

Alvhild volunteered for a variety of causes. She and Ken were founding supporters of the Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, Illinois, and the Des Plaines YMCA. Together they volunteered for the Community Chest, United Way, School of the Ozarks, and Isle Royale National Park Historical Association. After Ken passed, Alvhild championed the work of American-Scandinavian Foundation of Los Angeles and the Nordic Heritage Museum in Seattle.

She is preceded in death by Kenneth, both John (Sharon) and David (James Koenig) and all her siblings. She is survived by her grandsons John (Kimberly), Andrew (Nancy), and Matthew (Bethany), seven great-grandchildren and many nieces and nephews.

Visitation for Alvhild will be from 10 AM - 1 PM on Saturday, February 1, at Oehler Funeral Home, 2099 Miner St, Des Plaines, IL where a Funeral Service will follow at 1 PM. Interment Mount Emblem Cemetery.