Today my sister called me from Sweden to tell me that my mother had passed away. The dire news were not a supprise, yet I am still reeling from the shock of it. My mother struggled for a long time with various medical issues and I think she lived on her stubborness alone through the last year. Although I miss her dearly, I do think it was a blessing that she passed away and finally found peace.

Barbro Anita Berggren was her maiden name, although she went by her middle name later on in life. She was  the oldest of two siblings, born to Harry and Maria Berggren in Trollhättan, Sweden. Later on they bought a house in Helgered, right outside of Älvängen. There she grew up in beautiful surroundings, with a stellar view over the river Göta Kanal. She went to school and later on started working for a department store in Göteborg.

It was shortly after that she met Arne Holmgren, to whom she got married. She gave birth to two children, Jan Peter Sigurd and Britt-Marie Katrin. The marriage didn't last and they got a divorce. It was decided that Peter stay with his father, and Bitte should stay with her mother.

About 10 years after that, Anita had moved to Växjö, where she met Sven-Erik Nilsson and got married again. She gave birth to a son, Johan Martin. This marriage didn't work out either, so she got a divorce.

She worked in a lot of little places, until she was hired by Kvantum, a large department store. She started out selling over the counter fish and meats and ended up a fabric department supervisor. Her honesty and great sense of right and wrong along with a heart of gold made her a good leader. She never saw herself as a leader however.

The places where she found absolute peace, here on earth, was either in the garden or by the ocean. She rented a summer place for a couple of years, where she had a lot of gardening to do. This was one of the few places where I saw her in absolute peace.

Later on she moved in with Lars Andersson. They later on bought a house together in Alvesta, where they lived for a while. She quit her job at Kvantum and decided to open her on fabric store in Alvesta, together with her daughter Bitte. They ran it for about 3 years until they had to close it. She continued to work out of her home, doing alterations for people and businesses in Alvesta. She was very popular as she was able to it with a fairly low cost to the customers.

Lars and Anita later on decided to walk separate ways, they sold the house and she moved into an appartment in Alvesta. She still did a few alterations for people, but her health was starting to deterioate at this point.

Anita decided to go and visit her son, Johan, who had moved to United States a couple of years earlier. She and her daughter spent two weeks travelling the Pacific Northwestern region of America. When asked what her favorite part of the trip was, her answer was: The Dollar Store!

She loved her little trinkets and going to flea markets and auctions gave her great joy. It was a standing joke in the family that it was hard to see the wallpaper in her home, because she had so many pictures and other stuff hanging on the walls at all times.

She will be sorely missed by many. Her acts of kindness touched so many people around her. She never asked for much and was always ready to give whatever she had to offer. Thank you, Anita, for everything! May our love be a guiding light on your path into the unknown.