FRITHJOF WILHELM HOUGEN

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FRITHJOF WILHELM HOUGEN Frithjof Hougen passed away on May 26, 2008 at Victoria Hospital at the age of 87 years. He will be greatly missed by his wife of 21 years, Young Sook, and their two daughters, Caroline and Ingrid. He was predeceased by his parents, Ernst and Antonie Hougen of Oslo, Norway. His sister, Helene, presently resides in Oslo. Frithjof was born in Oslo on December 22, 1920. He served in the Norwegian army during the Second World War. After the war he completed chemical engineering at university in Trondheim. In 1948 he moved to Pretoria, South Africa, where he worked and also received his PhD. After eight years in Africa he moved to Canada and settled in Saskatoon where he did government research in agriculture. Two years later he became employed at the University of Manitoba as a professor and researcher and remained in that dual role until his retirement in 1986. From the time he was young, he always had a keen interest in music, playing piano, accordion, and, while in the Army, the trumpet. He was the man who wakened the troops in the morning! Frithjof's Norwegian heritage was important to him and he frequently returned to Norway to visit. In Canada he was an active member of the Norwegian Canadian Club and the Scandinavian Centre where he taught Norwegian language classes and his daughters learned folk dancing and participated in other cultural activities. All who knew him will remember him as a kind and gentle man. He had also belonged to the Canoe Club for many years. The family would like to thank the staff at Victoria Hospital. A special thank you to the home care worker, Lucy, who came every Tuesday to spend time with Frithjof. A service to remember Frithjof will be held on Friday, May 30 at 2:00 p.m. at the Manitoban Korean Presbyterian Church, 383 Dufferin Ave. Cremation has already taken place. He will be buried in a family plot in Oslo, Norway. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Scandinavian Centre, 761 Erin Street, Winnipeg, MB R3G 2R4. NEIL BARDAL INC. 949-2200 nbardal.mb.ca

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on May 28, 2008