Gun Marianne Eklund

Gun Marianne (Bohlin) Eklund passed away in Jupiter, Florida on July 24th, 2022 at the age of 89, following a brief illness. Gun greeted life with a smile. She was loved deeply by her family and her many friends both here in the U.S. and in Sweden, the country of her youth. Born on August 5, 1932, in the town of Borås near Sweden’s west coast, Gun was one of three children raised by Annie (Kvick), a seamstress, and Arvid Bohlin, a farmer and soldier in the Swedish cavalry. At the beginning of WWII, the family moved to a farmstead located outside of town. Gun and her brothers Sven and Bertil walked, and sometimes skied, over five miles to school each day. During the war, when tires from private automobiles were needed by the Swedish military, the family sometimes rode horses or travelled by horse drawn sled. In the mid 1950s, Gun attended the Viskadalen School, just outside of the Swedish city of Gotebörg, where she earned a degree in bookkeeping and economics. She later married and moved to Stockholm where she worked as a bookkeeper for Trygg-Hansa Life Insurance Company, and later at Pagelle, a Swedish fashion retailer. In 1966, Gun, who spoke very little English, and her former husband Jan K. Eklund emigrated to the United States with their two young daughters, where they settled in a lovely house in Verona, New Jersey. Within a year a son arrived, and the family enjoyed many years in this wonderful community with great friends and neighbors. Gun was an amazing baker and was famous for her Swedish Christmas cookies, which she made every year with her children and grandchildren. She was also a very talented seamstress, a skill she learned from her mother, and loved to knit and do beautiful and detailed embroidery work. She was always fashionable and often made her own clothes, in addition to clothes for her children and grandchildren when they were young (both sewn and knitted), countless doll clothes, and her daughter Marianne’s wedding dress. She loved being outdoors and would walk everywhere, including to the supermarket, down to Verona Park, and in the winter, would cross-country ski on the golf course and skate on Verona Lake. Gun had a green thumb and loved to spend time in her garden caring for her many rose bushes and tomato plants. She spent many hours planting flowers and gardening at her daughter’s houses. Gun was a devoted Mormor (grandmother) who delighted in being present at all of her grandchildren’s major events. In the late 1980’s with her children largely grown, Gun embarked upon the next stage in her life. She returned to work as a bookkeeper and purchased a beautiful apartment overlooking the Little Falls of the Passaic River. Gun loved commuting into New York City, working for the Swedish newspaper “Nordstjernan” and HM2, a women’s apparel company. She later worked at Vacumet in Wayne, N.J. until her retirement. Gun was a founding member of the Swedish Women’s Educational Association (SWEA) in N.J., where she met many of her closest friends, and at times served as both President and Treasurer. Every year for 25 years she could be found behind the textiles table, wearing her traditional Swedish “Folkdräkt” costume at the SWEA Christmas Fair in Upper Montclair, N.J., and helping her granddaughters prepare for the Lucia festival. Gun was always ready for an adventure, and she took numerous trips throughout the U.S., Europe, and Asia, often with her SWEA friends. One year, her friends and family were surprised to receive a Christmas card featuring a photo of Gun riding an elephant in Thailand. She visited Sweden frequently, often with children and grandchildren, who she also delighted in visiting throughout the United States. At the age of 84 she traveled with her family to Iceland where at one point she climbed over 400 steps to reach the top of a high waterfall. Well into her 80s, she continued to enjoy sledding with her grandchildren. She participated in numerous 5K races in Manhattan, and even at 88 she was still walking for an hour every day. In September 2021 Gun left New Jersey for a warmer climate, relocating to a new apartment in Hobe Sound, Florida, where she lived happily and made many wonderful new friends and memories. Gun was always positive, smiling and filled with energy. She made everyone around her feel happy. Her remarkable life is an inspiration to us all. Gun would want her many friends to know that she departed us in comfort and peace, wrapped in the warm embrace of her loving children. She will remain in our memory always. Gun was predeceased by her brothers Sven and Bertil Bohlin. She is survived by her three children, Marianne Martino (Jerry), Katherine Eklund (John Gerbino) and Jan-Peter Eklund; her four grandchildren, Kristen Martino, Vincent Martino (Taylor), Julia Gerbino and Catherine Gerbino; as well as many beloved extended family members in Sweden. A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, October 8, 2022, at 11:00AM, at Community Congregational Church, 200 Hartshorn Drive, Short Hills, New Jersey. A lunch reception will immediately follow at The Short Hills Club, 9 Lake Shore Drive, Short Hills, NJ, from 12:00PM to 3:00PM. Please RSVP to eklundkat@gmail.com. Gun enjoyed many happy years strolling with family and friends in Verona Park. Memorial gifts can be made in her honor and will support the planting of new trees and shrubs at the park. Please direct your gifts to the Verona Park Conservancy, P.O. Box 143, Verona, NJ 07044 and mark "Eklund Tree Fund".

Gun Marianne Eklund

August 5, 1932 - July 24, 2022