Torbjorg T. Fredheim

Torbjørg Tonny Fredheim (nee Axelsen), 102, of Brookline MA, peacefully went to be with the Lord on February 22, 2014. She passed away in Maine, surrounded by her family. She was the beloved wife of the late Peder Hartvig Fredheim (1910 - 2006); the devoted mother of Arthur Fredheim and his late wife Mary Ann (d. Dec 21, 2013) of Brookline, MA, and Harold Fredheim and his wife Lorelei of Bethel, CT; a loving grandmother of 10 grandchildren and 18 great-grandchildren. She is also survived by her sister Gerd Rasmussen, of Flekkefjord, Norway and several nieces and nephews in both Norway and the USA. Torbjørg was born in Hidra, Flekkefjord Norway on May 18, 1911 to the late Georgine and Andreas Axelsen. She was the oldest of 5 children: Sverre, Anne Marie, Jon, and Gerd, of Norway. Torbjørg was a passionate musician. At age 13, she played for her church in Kirkehavn, Norway. In 1929, after graduating high school, she entered The Conservatory of Music in Stavanger, Norway. Upon completion of her studies, she began her professional career as organist at Hidra Kirke and as a private piano and organ teacher. In 1937, Torbjørg emigrated to the US. In Bay Ridge Brooklyn in 1938, she and Hartvig, also from Hidra, Norway, married at Trinity Lutheran Church. They moved to Westerleigh, Staten Island in 1943 where they remained until 2005. Her career in the US began at Fifty-ninth Street Church of The Lutheran Brethren in Brooklyn, NY as organist and choir director, a tenure that lasted from 1941 to 1965. From 1953 to 1959, she was also Director of Music for the Vanderbilt Avenue Moravian Church in Staten Island. In 1965, she accepted a position as Director of Music for Castleton Hill Moravian Church which she held until 1982. It was during her tenure there that she composed many pieces of music, most notably her Moravian Wedding March (©1974), which has been beautifully played at each of her married grandchildren’s weddings. In 1982, she began an illustrious 21 year tenure as Director of Music for the Norwegian Seaman’s Church in Manhattan (renamed King Olav V Church). Pastor Hans Erik Ruude once said of her, “It’s not a proper worship service in a church without Mrs. Fredheim.” On October 11, 1995, Torbjørg was asked to play for King Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway, who were visiting the Seaman’s Church. One of the highlights of her performance that day was when King Harald V held her hand and told her, “You play like a young girl!”. Torbjørg officially retired at age 92 in 2005 when she and Hartvig moved to Brookline, MA. Hartvig was very proud of her accomplishments and was always happy to carry her music for her. Torbjørg’s talent spans decades of dedication to the Lord’s work and will follow her through the years in the talent and musical careers of over one hundred of her piano and organ students. She loved the Lord with her whole heart and used the gift of music He gave to her to honor Him through serving many wonderful churches in Norway and the USA throughout her long, rich life. Torbjorg's funeral service was held at March 3, 2014 at Emmanuel Episcopal Church, 21 Stratford St., West Roxbury, MA with burial at Walnut Hills Cemetery, Brookline, MA. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in Torbjørg’s memory to The Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration at www.theaftd.org.