my Mom
Grace Gunhild Sevald Kallman
1927-1975
in front of her grandparents home in Skien, Norway 1937
Nov 1, 2016
Visiting Family in Norway 1937
I am pretty sure that my grandfather Paul could have stayed in Chicago and never returned to Norway. I don't think he was particularly close with most of his siblings. As I have spoke of in previous blogs, he did not have a particularly happy childhood. His mother died when he was young and his father was reportedly, well let's just say not a fellow you missed when away from him. For my grandmother Dagmar it was different. Her family was close and loving. I am sure they had their differences but she missed Norway terribly and the family made a point to return to visit when they were able. In 1937 all four of the family, grandpa Paul, grandma Dagmar, uncle Arnold and my mom Grace returned to Skien, Telemark, Norway for a visit. Outgoing Arnold quickly fell in with his cousins. It was harder for Grace. She was more shy and speaking Norwegian did not come as easily for her as it did for Arnold. "Everybody likes Arnold and nobody likes me" is how she told me she felt as a young girl back in Norway. Her mother reassured her with "you are grandma's favorite, she likes you best". She told me she did enjoy and feel at peace and somehow "at home" in Norway and sometimes wished her parents had never moved to Chicago.
