ABEL ABRAHAMSEN

ABRAHAMSEN--Abel.

(1923-2018), beloved father of Anne Catherine Leigh and Synnove Jean, cherished widower of Anne Katrine (nee Gaaso), died in New York on September 6, 2018, one day short of his 95th birthday. Abel was born September 7, 1923 to Jewish parents in Trondheim, Norway. During WW II, stripped by the Nazis of home and business, the family fled to Sweden; sixty- three relatives perished in the Holocaust. In 1944, he joined the Royal Norwegian Air Force, at Camp Little Norway, as a navigator-bombardier. Fondly called "Mr. Norway," Abrahamsen was known for his extensive volunteer work in New York's Norwegian-American community and for his award-winning store, NORSK, at 57th Street and Park Avenue. He had served as president of the Norwegian-American Chamber of Commerce, 1973-1976; as a trustee of the Norwegian Seamen's Church, 1975-2017; and, in 1974, was a cofounder of Torskeklubben New York (the Cod Club). His bravery, humanitarianism, and love for his native land led to Norway's honoring him in 1976 with the Knight's Cross, First Class, of the Royal Norwegian Order of St Olav, and in 2017, with the high honor of The Defense and Commemorative Medal of the Norwegian Government for his role in the liberation of Norway in WWII. A memorial gathering will be held in New York, date to be determined.