Per Olav Flaatten

On April 22, 2025, Per Olav Flaatten passed away at home in Winfield, IL, after a decades-long battle with diabetes.
Per was born in Oslo, Norway, on March 9, 1945, to Jens and Eva Flaatten. He spent his childhood in Tønsberg, Norway, before his family moved to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in 1957. The five years Per lived there were some of the best times of his life. He attended the Lycée Franco-Ethiopien Guebre Mariam. Upon graduation, he was awarded a scholarship to the Université Grenoble Alpes in France, where he studied mathematics for two years. (He took an extra year of calculus, "just for fun.") He then achieved his goal of admission to the prestigious École Polytechnique in Paris, France, where he earned advanced degrees in mathematics and physics.
After graduation in 1964, Per returned to Norway to fulfil his military requirement. (During this time, he taught himself Latin, also "just for fun.") His time in the army was cut short by his diabetes diagnosis, for which he was given a medical discharge. He moved back to Paris where he joined Arthur Andersen as a business consultant.
In 1982, at a conference in Switzerland, Per met an American woman who was working in London. They quickly fell in love and decided they would have two children: first a boy, then a girl. In 1983, their son was born. In 1984, they relocated to the Chicago area, and in 1985, they welcomed a daughter.
Per's successful career was further distinguished in 1989 by the publication of a textbook, Foundations of Business Systems, for which he served as the lead author. After his retirement in 2001, he taught courses at Loyola University in Chicago as an adjunct professor. He also volunteered enthusiastically at his church, Trinity Episcopal in Wheaton, IL, where he was a loyal parishioner for 35 years.
While Per's health declined over his later years, his deep curiosity, profound intellect, and wicked sense of humor remained steadfast. He loved to laugh and to make others laugh; those acquainted with him knew they could always count on Per for a groan-inducing pun.
Per is survived by his beloved wife, Sue; children, Dave and Catherine (Corey); sisters, Heidi and Anne (Arnt); nephew, Lars (Mari) and niece, Eva; and great-nephew, Matias.
A memorial service will be held on Saturday, June 28, 2025, at 1:30pm in the chapel of Trinity Episcopal Church (130 N. West St., Wheaton, IL, 60187). In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Per's memory to Breakthrough T1D (for diabetes research) or Trinity Episcopal Church.