Oke William Bjornlund

Oke William Bjornlund, 90, formerly of Holden and Jupiter, FL, 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, MN; a brother, Eric Bjornlund of Shrewsbury; four grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his brother, Dr. O.Y. Bjornlund of Fairmont, MN in 2005. His wife of 62 years, Shirley E. (Hanson) Bjornlund, predeceased him in October of 2002.

He was born on December 9, 1917 in Eskilstuna, Sweden, son of Yngve and Olga (Petterson) Bjornlund. He arrived in the U.S. at age 8, attended Worcester public schools and graduated from Commerce High School. He served in the U.S. Naval reserves 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 over 39 years he worked in the Machine Tool Division (Norton 35 years, Warner Swasey 4 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 9 years on various assignments including overseeing the building of a new plant in Chino, California 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 to 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, June 12th, in the Miles Funeral Home, 1158 Main St., Holden, followed by a graveside service at 10:45 a.m. at Grove Cemetery, 1290 Main Street, Holden. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Trinity Lutheran Church Memorial Fund, 73 Lancaster St., Worcester, MA 01609.

www.milesfuneralhome.com