Oke Bjornlund

ROCHESTER ; Oke William Bjornlund, 90, formerly of Holden, Mass., and Jupiter, Fla., died Monday, June 9, 2008, in Rochester.

He leaves two sons, W. Bruce Bjornlund and his wife, Georgiana, of East Montpelier, Vt., the Rev. Robert R. Bjornlund and his wife, Nancy, of Minnetonka, Minn.; a brother, Eric Bjornlund of Shrewsbury, Mass.; four grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews.

He was predeceased by his brother, Dr. O.Y. Bjornlund of Fairmont, Minn., in 2005. His wife of 62 years, Shirley E. (Hanson) Bjornlund, predeceased him in October 2002.

He was born on Dec. 9, 1917, in Eskilstuna, Sweden, son of Yngve and Olga (Petterson) Bjornlund. He arrived in the U.S. at age eight, attended Worcester, Mass., public schools and graduated from Commerce High School.

He served in the U.S. Naval Reserve during World War II and furthered his education by attending evening sessions at Northeastern University in Worcester and four years of evening courses at Worcester Polytechnic Tech's School of Industrial Management.

For more than 39 years, he worked in the Machine Tool Division (Norton 35 years, Warner Swasey four years). He completed his apprenticeship in the machine division, then held a variety of assignments and supervisory positions leading to a manager's position on the operating board of the Norton Machine Tool Division. After retirement, he worked for O.S. Walker and Walker-Magnetics for nine years on various assignments including overseeing the building of a new plant in Chino, Calif. in 1985.

Mr. Bjornlund was a member of Trinity Lutheran Church, where he served on the church council for 12 years, sang in the Union Choir and taught Sunday school. He was a member of the Morning Star Lodge of Masons in Worcester and was a Registered Professional Engineer in Mass. He and Shirley loved to travel and enjoyed landscaping and gardening.

Relatives and friends are invited to attend a calling hour from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, June 12, in the Miles Funeral Home, 1158 Main St., Holden, Mass., followed by a graveside service at 10:45 a.m. at Grove Cemetery, 1290 Main St., Holden. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Trinity Lutheran Church Memorial Fund, 73 Lancaster St., Worcester, MA 01609. Website & Guest book: www.milesfuneralhome.com.

Visit the online guest book at www.fosters.com.