Bengt Olof Farnstrom passed away peacefully at 97 years of age, surrounded by family and friends at Westminster-Canterbury in Winchester, Virginia on Sept. 1, 2017. Bengt was born on 5/10/1920 in Lidingö, Sweden. He is predeceased by his wife of 58 years, Jenny Farnstrom, his parents, Emil and Gunhild Farnstrom, three sisters and two brothers. In 1940-41, Bengt completed a year of law school before enlisting as a commissioned officer in the Swedish Royal Coast Artillery during WW II. In the final years of the war, Bengt acted as chief liaison between the Air Force and the Coast Artillery in addition to serving as a flight navigator completing daily surveillance missions over the Baltic archipelago.
Bengt started his post war years working for Scandinavian Airlines where he met his future wife, one of the world's first flight attendants, Jenny Biesert. Bengt and Jenny married in 1950 and moved to the United States shortly thereafter. Over the years, Bengt worked as a business executive for AGA-USA, AGA-Sweden, and Husqvarna USA/Canada before launching his own international consulting firm, Interma Co. Inc.
Bengt devoted much of his life to his children, children's spouses, and grandchildren. He was a passionate environmentalist who established recycling and conservation programs wherever he lived. Family and friends will remember him as a kind, charming, and thoughtful person who evinced integrity, honor, and perseverance. Bengt, an avid bridge player, also enjoyed international travel, golf, sailing and classical music. He is survived by his son, Hans Farnstrom and his wife, Lora Farnstrom; daughters Maria DeLalla and Helen Robertson and Helen’s husband, Ken Robertson; six grandchildren, Beth Siemaszko and her husband, Justin Siemaszko, Emily Abbey and her husband, Brooks Abbey, Lauren DeLalla, Julya Robertson, Dashiell Robertson, Dima Robertson; and two great grandsons, Hayden Abbey and Callum Abbey.
Services will be private.
In lieu of flowers, a donation to Blue Ridge Hospice would be greatly appreciated.