6th Finnish trip December 2007 #11
Paul Victor Bjorklund, The Rev. Paul Bjorklund was born in Negaunee, Michigan to Anna Sofia and Anders Victor Bjorklund, Swedish-Finns who emigrated from Finland. Anders came from Kruunupyy near Kokkola and Anna from Sundby near Pietarsaari. Paul graduated from Lincoln High School, Augsburg College, and North Park Theological Seminary, was ordained as a Covenant minister, and served churches in Chetek Wisconsin, St. Paul, Pittsburgh, Orlando, and Chicago.
Paul and his family moved to Everett when he was a toddler, then to Seattle in 1933 where at age 17 he met his future wife Beatrice when they played trumpet and violin respectively in the orchestra at First Covenant Church. Paul was an accomplished gardener and artist and had a beautiful tenor voice. He was a pro at restoring old castoff furniture, finding many of the discarded pieces while walking the alleys of Chicago.
After retirement Paul and Beatrice moved back to Seattle, settling in Ballard where Beatrice was raised, once again attending First Covenant Church. Paul was a charter member of both the Finn Room Committee of the Nordic Heritage Museum and the Board of the Swedish-Finn Historical Society.
Eventually Paul and Beatrice moved to Covenant Shores Retirement Community where they both enjoyed line dancing with the Antique Kids and Paul had a P-Patch, kayaked, took art classes, and mastered the computer. He continued to be a popular visiting pastor at the Finnish Lutheran Church in Seattle. Prior to his second stroke he was working on his first novel. Paul always got up at five in the morning to read scripture from his Swedish Bible.
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