Roy Axelson

Roy A. Axelson, 76, of Jamestown, formerly of Lincolnshire, IL, passed away peacefully December 30, 2014. He is survived by his wife of 47 years Bonnie, children Kirie and Kris, grandchildren Ada and Esme, and brother Arne. Born to Swedish immigrants, Roy was born and raised in Alta, Iowa. He was the first in his family to attend college, majoring in poultry science at Iowa State University. Upon graduation, he served in the artillery branch in the Army and deployed to Korea in 1961. After his Army service, Roy relocated to the Chicago-area and worked in the food industry. Eventually he followed his entrepreneurial spirit and with his wife created a wholesale seafood company, The Seafood Merchants. In recognition of their accomplishments, the University of Illinois at Chicago recognized Roy and Bonnie as "entrepreneurs of the year" in 1999. After retiring in 2012, Roy and Bonnie moved to Jamestown, RI to spend time with their grandchildren. Roy enjoyed traveling and winemaking. He planted a vineyard, blended, and bottled his own wine in Illinois. A life-long member of various Scandinavian organizations, he was the former president of the Norwegian-American Chamber of Commerce in Chicago. He was also active in the Swedish-American Chamber of Commerce, National Fisheries Institute, and the Northern Illinois Wine Growers Association. Burial with military honors was held in the Cedar Cemetery in Jamestown. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions to the Catholic Charities-Lake County Food Pantry in Waukegan, Illinois will be appreciated. For information and condolences visit: www.FaganQuinnFuneralHome.com. A memorial in honor of Roy will be held at Lovell's of Lake Forest on January 31, 2015 from 1:00 to 4:00 pm.