Britta Norman

Britta Norman’s Bio (Prepared by Solvig, Per-Henrik, and Bjorn Norman)

Britta Margareta Norman (nee Nilsson) was born in Östersund, Sweden, on Oct 18th, 1924. She was an only child and had a good upbringing in a large house built by her father. Some of her neighbourhood friends became lifelong friends. Her dad owned a lot of land and was the first person to have an automobile in the area and became the local taxi and ambulance driver for his county. She only had a Grade 6 level of education, but went on to train as a dental assistant at age 15. She made her way to Stockholm in her early 20s and met her husband Gunnar at an outdoor dance at Skansen. They married and started a family right away with 3 kids and eventually one more later on.

With a young family, they lived in Vällingby (a modern community built in the 1950s) and her husband built his stamp business over the years – specializing in Northern European stamps. Every summer from the early 1950s to 1963 was spent at Udden, a former “torp” located on the shores of lake Östra Lägern, in southern Östergötland. A rough wagon road led to it through the forest and this property had no electricity, indoor plumbing, or telephone. For Gunnar and the children it was an escape from the ordinary to fish, relax, and live a life inspired by the pastoral setting. For Britta however it meant long hours of work without modern conveniences, although, beginning in 1955 with a new child to care for, she had young maids help with the housework. Every summer, many of Britta and Gunnar’s friends visited and stayed over, often bringing their own children, which added to the joy and fun at Udden. Eventually Britta and Gunnar bought their own summer house (“stuga”). It was a 200-year-old house with outbuildings named Gölpan, on a small lake by the same name near Västervik. This was Britta’s paradise away from the city during the two years they had it, with everyone enjoying a country lifestyle and adventures during frequent visits throughout the years.

In 1966 Gunnar and Britta started to look for opportunities to live elsewhere in the world where taxes were less and operating a business would be easier, preferably in an English-speaking country. They considered Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, USA, and Canada. People they met in Stockholm, who had returned from living in Vancouver, convinced them that Vancouver, Canada was the place they should move to. So later the same year (1966) they travelled to Vancouver to check it out, and met a few Swedes as well who made them feel welcome.

In March 1967 Gunnar made the trip alone to scout out a house with the help of realtors who were connected to local Swedes there. He found it on West Vancouver Sentinel Hill, on a large southwest-facing lot overlooking the Vancouver harbour. The house was big enough for 6 people on 3 levels. Gunnar furnished it and bought a car and sat back to await Britta and their 4 kids aged 19, 16, 12, and 4.5 who arrived on June 12th, 1967. None of them could speak English well even after private tutoring in the weeks before departure.

The new house in West Vancouver was quite the change from a three-bedroom apartment in Vällingby, Sweden. Britta and the kids quickly settled into life in Canada and practiced speaking English at home as much as possible. Britta once commented how casual and relaxed it was in Vancouver – e.g., women popping out to the corner store with curlers in their hair covered by a scarf. Something she said she wouldn’t dream of doing in Stockholm. Over time she loved living in West Vancouver and would never consider moving back to Sweden, although she did visit Sweden about every 4-5 years spending many weeks with family and friends.

In the early 1970s, Britta became involved with the Swedish Cultural Society and met many long-term Swedish friends. One year in the early 1970s she volunteered her oldest daughter to be Lucia for the St. Lucia pageant. In the early 1980s her youngest daughter was also Lucia after many years participating in the St. Lucia pageant. Over time, Britta was elected (nominated) as the chairperson of the Swedish Cultural Society overseeing and helping to organize many Swedish cultural events in Vancouver. She held this position for a number of years and had the opportunity to meet King Carl of Sweden and Queen Silvia on a few of their royal visits to Vancouver (1988 & 2010). She remained a respected member of the Swedish Community attending many functions in her later years.

Britta returned to working in the mid-1970s as a nurse’s aid spending most of her career at Evergreen House at the Lions Gate Hospital in North Vancouver, retiring from there in the late 1980s. Britta was an avid knitter and made many beautiful sweaters for herself and family. She once called herself a ‘knit-nut.’ She also loved to drive and did many road trips to the US with her Swedish friend Marianne Sondergaard. She also loved cross-country skiing, and photography (she documented her kids, grandkids, and great-grandkids).

Ten of her remaining years were spent in her small apartment in West Vancouver – that she adored. She was known to host delicious family dinners there. Britta spent her last two years in West Vancouver Care Centre (now demolished) where she had first worked as a nurse’s aid when it was known as Altamont Private Hospital. In the end Britta suffered from dementia and arthritis and passed away in April 2013 at the age of 88.5. She had a full life and was dedicated to her kids, grandkids (7), and great-grandkids (6 of them) and was very proud to maintain Swedish traditions within her family and the Swedish community in Vancouver.