Olga K. Fagerstrom

Olga K. Fagerstrom, 100, was born July 13, 1920, in Seymour, CT, to the late Trophym and Julianna Kurillo Krynitzky. She was called from this earthly home to join those who passed on before her August 17, 2020, in Gulf Breeze, FL.

She was so many things: The undisputed bingo queen of every facility where she lived, winning at a rate that defied the laws of probability, playing with the intensity of a chess grandmaster. An ageless character endowed with youthful enthusiasm and a childlike sense of wonder. She began to paint at the age of 93 and filled the walls of her apartment with brilliantly colored works of her fertile imagination over the next six years. Painting was an immersive experience for her. The joy of creation radiated from her face. A fashionista who, as a nonagenarian, was admired by millennial women for her edgy, red-framed DG eyeglasses and stacks of crystal-bead bracelets on both arms. She wore Peter Max paisley pants and world-map Mary Janes with panache. A sorceress with babies, able to coax them into comfort and stem the flow of tears. A mother of extraordinary dedication, committed to providing her son at college with a package of fresh-baked goodies every Wednesday without exception, sometimes throwing in cans of tuna, fresh fruit, or a sweater for good measure. A culinary master, creating the world’s best potato salad, buttermilk biscuits, halupki (Slovak stuffed cabbage), chicken paprika, blackberry pie, and German chocolate cake. A tireless guardian of her family, ever the one to turn off the last light before going to bed. A gifted comedienne, able to make her son laugh, even when he was adamantly opposed to doing so. The cutest girl in Seymour High School, with cheekbones like Hedy Lamarr. A wonderful human being who graced this earth with her unique presence for a century, living on in the many who were touched and moved by her magic.

Olga was preceded in death by her beloved husband of 60 years, Richard M. Fagerstrom, Sr.; her parents; her daughter, Joy A. Guidone; two brothers, Theodore and Dmitri Krynitzky; and her sister, Ann Johnson.

Left to cherish Olga’s beautiful memories will be her son, Richard M. Fagerstrom, Jr., of Washington, DC; and her grandson, Christopher M. Guidone (Mary Cox) of St. Cloud, FL; with extended family members and a number of amazing friends.

A private celebration of life service will be held Wednesday, August 26, 2020 in the Chapel of Bayview Fisher-Pou. A private interment will immediately follow on the grounds of Bayview Memorial Park.

In honor of a life well lived, memorials may be made to the Pensacola Humane Society, 5 North Q Street, Pensacola, FL, 32505, pensacolahumane.org, in the name of Olga K. Fagerstrom.

The family would like to extend their gratitude towards the staff at The Beacon at Gulf Breeze for the love and care provided through the years.