Axel Bergenstjerna

Obituary of Axel Bergenstjerna

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Axel G. Bergenstjerna died peacefully at his home in Pitman, New Jersey, USA on June 20, 2017 at the age of 95. Services will be private. He was born in Stockholm, Sweden on July 14, 1921, the son of the late Axel G. Bergenstjerna, an attorney at law, and his wife, the late Eva Bergenstjerna, nee Klingspor. In 1943, after graduating from pre-university school in Stockholm, he joined the Swedish Air Force and became a fighter pilot, flying the Swedish-built J21 and J22, also the J26, the American built P51 Mustang. He graduated from reserve officers class in 1945 and resigned from the Swedish Air Force in 1954. On June 22,1948, while attending compulsory flight training, Mr. Bergenstjerna became a member of the exclusive Caterpillar Club when his J21 Saab fighter plane malfunctioned and he had to save his life by parachuting. He was a 1948 graduate of the Gothenburg Institute of Commerce graduate program, and joined that summer the Paris office of the giant Swedish conglomerate, the Johnson Concern. In 1950, he was transferred to the corporate headquarters in Stockholm, where he served for another sixteen years in various executive positions, among them Consul of Thailand and Personal Assistant to Consul General Axel Ax:son Johnson, owner of the Johnson Concern and one of the greatest industrialists of his time. In 1966, Mr. Bergenstjerna was appointed Vice President of Marketing of the Heath Company, Stockholm, a management consultant organization affiliated with The Science Management Corporation of Moorestown, New Jersey and the Stanford Research Institute of Plan Alto, California. In 1974, Mr. Bergenstjerna joined Piper Aircraft, Lock Haven, Pennsylvania, as Administrator of International Distribution. He won this position in competition with 652 applicants from11 countries. He and his wife Margaret "Peg", left Lock Haven in 1977 for St.Petersburg, Florida, where he worked for nine years as a marketing consultant for the AAA. He was also a member of the faculty of the Eckerd College Leadership Development Institute, and an adjunct professor of management at Eckerd College. June 22 was a date of special importance for Axel andPeg. She was born on that date in 1924. He saved his life, bailing out of his malfunctioning aircraft on June 22, 2948. They meet on June 22, 1975 in Lock Haven, PA. And on June 22, 2004, Peg, then 80, received a notice form The Heritage Books, Inc. stating that they would publish her book, ". . . And She Smiled Because She Knew." Over the years when he lived in South Jersey, Axel developed a sincere friendship with David and MaRy Duffield, their large, beautiful family and the many nice employees of their farm in Sewell. Their eldest son, David, and his wife, Ruth Ann, made it a tradition to celebrate with Axel his birthday on July 14, together with Ruth Ann's church group. Axel Bergenstjerna is survived by daughter, Elisabeth Bergenstjerna, daughter, Louise Ekesioo, and son Axel G. J. Bergenstjerna, their spouses and seven grandchildren, all in Sweden, and by three stepchildren, Louise Ridgely Reardon of Berlin, MD, Robert G. Reardon of Bellefonte, PA, and Elizabeth Ridgely Kiviat of Pitman, NJ, their spouses, and four step-granchildren. Also by his niece, Anne Donner, of Helsinki, Finland, nieces Susan and Therese and nephew Michale Palme , their spouses, and two grandchildren, all in Sweden. In his 40-year tenure as a marketing professional, Axel Bergenstjerna lived an exciting life. He visited 107 countries, mastered five languages, enjoyed music, reading and sailing when time and environment permitted. He was a true renaissance man.
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