Sonja Esben-Petersen

Sonja Esben-Petersen was born January 10, 1936 in Bjerringbro, Denmark to Ellen Megrethe Wium, an RN/Physical Therapist and Aksel Nielsen, a grocer.
She grew up in occupied Copenhagen during WW2, where she had as normal and happy a childhood as one could with soldiers in the streets and bombs falling. One of her most vivid memories was the day the city was liberated.
Like many women of her generation, Sonja was steered to secretarial school and her first job was in the statistics department of the Danish Department of Commerce. While she was exceedingly well-organized, smart and detail oriented, she only lasted 3 months as she could not stand the idleness that came with a government job. She took a new job with Torm Shipping Company.
Meanwhile, her older brother Palle and then her parents followed other cousins and family emigrating to America. Sonja enjoyed a year of freedom on her own in Copenhagen before she too moved to New York City. Fortunately she had already distinguished herself in her new job at Torm. Because of that, they trained her in all the various departments of the company so that she could arrive in NY with a job waiting for her helping to set up their new New York office. Sonja took advantage of the company's option to sail to America on one of their ships via the Mediterranean.
Upon arrival in NY, Sonja rented a room at the YWCA in Greenwich Village, which was almost a mini United Nations as there were so many women from so many different countries. When she arrived at Torm's NY offices, Sonja found herself as the secretary to Henning Esben-Petersen, an up and coming company executive who had just arrived at the NY offices via Brazil. Despite both having worked in Torm's relatively small Copenhagen office, they had not met previously. They promptly fell in love and married soon thereafter.
A son, Peter, was born in 1960, followed by a daughter, Annette, in 1961. Sonja left Torm to stay home and focus her energy and abilities on being the best mother and homemaker. The family returned to Denmark for a brief period after Annette's birth before returning to NY and eventually settling in northern NJ where Sonja continued her dedication to being the most conscientious and loving mother and housewife.
Not only did as she selflessly give her prodigious talents to her family, but she found time to get a degree in Early Childhood Development so she could teach Pre-School and give her time as a volunteer to the Hemophilia Association and to the Red Cross, where she ran blood drives. If you were looking for something to do to honor Sonja, you might consider giving blood.
When the children were older and she was needed less at home, Sonja went back to work as the very first employee in the Membership and Marketing Department of the U.S. Golf Association. If you joined the USGA in the late '60s/early '70s, Sonja very likely put together and sent you a new member packet. When Henning's health deteriorated, Sonja left USGA to be able to care for him.
After Henning passed away, she devoted much time to her local church where she served on the church council and volunteered in many capacities. She continued to play tennis with a group of life long friends as well as to hike and enjoy the outdoors. She enjoyed celebrating many life occasions with her brother and her nieces, nephews and their children over the years.
After moving down to Georgia in 2017, she was so committed to "doing something productive" every day that she dropped in at her daughter and son-in-law's business while still in her late 80s, demanding to be put to work.
Sonja loved Smoky Springs (her Retirement Community) and the many friends she made there, where she stayed busy with her balcony garden, arranging flowers, and knitting with the Tiny Stiches group.
She did 30 minutes of yoga and stretching every single morning of her life until a week before she died. Even when she was in the ER for 36 hours before being assigned a room on one of her more frequent hospital stays in her later years, she began doing calisthenics on her gurney in the hallway ("It's been 24 hours since I had any exercise!").
Sonja was a tremendously giving person; always focused on other people and what she could do for them. Her smile was infectious and she was loved by all who knew her. She will be greatly missed.
Sonja passed away on November 15, 2025.
The family is so grateful to the caregivers at the cardiac care unit ant NEGA Medical Center Gainesville and at the Hospice of NEGAMC who took such wonderful care of her during her final days.
Memorial Service to be held 3 p.m. Saturday, December 6th at Grace Episcopal Church, 422 Brenau Ave., Gainesville, GA 30501.