Mette M. Strong

Mass. Mette Mathiesen Strong died peacefully surrounded by loved ones Thursday, January 24th 2019. Born in Oslo, Norway, Mette was the youngest of four girls. She started cross country skiing at the age of 3, and raced downhill in her teens and early twenties. When the Nazis invaded Norway at the earlier stage of WW II, Mettes family fled to the mountainous region called Rondane. Mettes eldest sister disappeared unexpectedly and joined the Norwegian Underground Resistance movement and was trained in espionage and sabotage. Mette continued her education during the war and had to dress and walk like a boy to avoid being detected by the Nazis guarding the exterior of her school. Soon after the war ended Mette worked in the Parisian slums to help the orphans and refugees from Albania. There she contracted Typhoid Fever and was saved by an antibiotic invented just the previous year. In 1954 she met and married an American named Corrin Peter Strong, and they settled in southern Connecticut and had 6 children and adopted numerous animals. In 1980 Mette separated from her husband and enrolled at the University of Bridgeport to pursue her Masters degree in Psychotherapy. A few years later she moved to Chatham and opened her own practice for 23 years, and loved her proximity to the ocean and a beloved community. In 2007 Mette retired and moved closer to two of her daughters in the Metro West area (mostly Concord and Marlborough), finally settling at the Youville House in Cambridge. She is survived by 6 children: Karin Strong of Cushing Me, Bente Strong of Garrison, NY, Ingrid Strong of Cambridge, Ma. Berit Strong of Acton, Ma. Leif Strong of Novato Ca. and Finn Strong of San Rafael, Ca. and 9 grandchildren Stig and Bryn Strong, Bashir and Zahra Siddique, Sarah and Christopher Ritter, Maya Thompson, Teya and Nora Strong. She will be remembered for her love of life, commitment to helping all she came into contact with, and endless devotion to her family. A Memorial Service is being held at the Mount Calvary Lutheran Church of Acton, on Saturday, April 27th at 1 p.m. The public is invited.