If they hit it off, Margarete would invite them up for a meal in the dining room.
“That’s how I met my husband,” Freida says, before laughing.
“He came for supper and he stayed for 51 years!”īefore he was her husband, Finn Eriksen was a visiting merchant marine from Norway. Rather than the beauty of the backyard, his eyes were focused on Freida. Drove a ’58 Pontiac.” Finn recalls with a smile. “I’m still wondering if it was the car or me,” Freida laughs.įinn says it was definitely her. After she performed traditional Norwegian music on the accordion for him that night, Finn asked Freida out. “(Margarete and Andy) may have been a little uneasy when I was dating their daughter, because sailors don’t have the best reputation,” Finn laughs. “But they were lovely people.”Īnd they were happy Finn was Norwegian. Margarete and Andy were the founding members of the local Sons of Norway dance group. They and their children regularly volunteered to perform at seniors’ centres and veterans’ hospitals. “They enjoyed what they had and sharing it with other people,” Finn smiles.