Obituary of Bjorg Lillian Jeanpierre

My beautiful mother passed away on Novenber 12th, 2024. She died peacefully in her sleep. She is the loving mother of 2 sons, Erik and David. I am learning how to live In a new way Since that day You were taken away. I am learning how to live With the things left unsaid Knowing I got to say them With every tear that I shed. I am learning how to live By embracing the pain Knowing that you live on Through the memories that remain. I am learning how to live Knowing I will never again see your face And I have peace knowing You’re in a better place. I am learning how to live Knowing you’re in God’s care It gives me the strength to move on And makes the pain much easier to bear.

Such a remarkable person. Reflecting on her beauty, both inside and out, as well as her youthful spirit and joyful nature, highlights the positive impact she had on those around her. Her engaging and knowledgeable personality made every moment spent together meaningful. I will always cherish the great times and beautiful memories.

There is no way I could narrow the good memories down to one! Bjorg, but Lillian to us, was the mom to my two childhood friends Erik and David. Erik was my age and my best friend growing up. But, as we grew up into young adults, Lillian became a friend too - not just my friends’ mom. One memory was that when we were children, maybe 10 years old, she decided that we should all learn to speak French. (She was multilingual with French, Spanish, English, her native Norwegian, and likely German as well). So, she sat us all down one Saturday around the table and we started to learn French. I was not the best student though as Saturday was my day away from school. But she was a great teacher, full of energy and fun! Another great memory, one of my life's best, is when she took Erik, David and I to spend the summer in Norway visiting her extended family! Erik and I were both 15. We were welcomed by their family like royalty all around the country. Our home base was in Trondheim. In fact, somehow, Erik and I were allowed to borrow somebody's empty apartment, just the two of us. After a week of settling in and meeting everyone there, Erik and I were allowed by Lillian and my parents to go out on our own for three weeks. We started this trip by taking a ferry to the North Cape—a three day sail through the dramatic fijords! The poignant thing about this is that the ferry was run by the same company as Lillian's father was a ship's captain for back in the early 1940's. The thing is, he was killed by the Nazi's while on his ship protecting a passenger from Nazi's who had forcefully boarded the ship. He went at them with a hatchet – I am not kidding or exaggerating. Because of that, Erik was given a free ticket from Trondheim to the North Cape as a thank you to the family. So, we got to the North Cape, inside the arctic circle and camped for a few days with 24 hour sunlight looking out over the arctic ocean! Wonderful and surreal. Then we took a ferry just back to the mainland and then hitchhiked through Finland and Sweden and got back, eventually, to Trondheim and the embrace of extended family! This summer was one of my very best lifetime memories!!! More generally, I will always remember Lillian for her zest for life and her sense of humor! Her laugh was full and unabashed! She brought joy and learning to all around her. Even though I didn't see her much in the last few years, I miss her already. Rest in peace Lillian!

A final greeting from Norway and the city of Trondheim. Bjørg's hometown. She was my aunt and my father's sister. Bjørg never forgot her Norwegian roots and made many visits to Norway and Trondheim to visit relatives and friends. My daughter and I visited and stayed with Bjørg and David in New York in 2005 and had a wonderful trip where Bjørg showed great hospitality and kindness. Remember Bjørg as a pleasant, caring, exuberant, social and sociable person. Rest in peace.

I'm so sad to hear the passing of my Aunty Bjorg. I only learned I had an Aunt in NYC about 20 years ago. Aunty Bjorg's father was my Grandfather I never new. It's quite a story. Her Father had a child out of wed lock in Norway, his child was my mother who later came to the US, met my Dad had 3 children and died of cancer at the young age of 35. When on a visit to Norway, my family did some research and learned who the father to my mother was and informed me about her. My Grandfather had 4 more children and one of them in NY. I was able to get her phone number and called her. She said she had heard about another child by her father but that was all they knew. Meeting her for the first time was wonderful, she insisted I come to New York and to meet her and see the sights and I did. She had so much energy and was so fun, had a party for me where everyone put on one of her hats to wear. Through the years she visited me in Portland Oregon and I traveled to see her a couple more times. My last visit with her was to celebrate her 90th birthday and that turned out so fun because she made it fun. It's so funny how life turns out. I miss our phone calls and I learned so much from her. Rest in peace dear sweet Aunty! Arlene Slothower

I work in the Montessori school that is in the building where Lillian lived for many years. Lillian was vibrant, friendly, smart, kind, and fun. She had a huge, wonderful, and warm personality and everyone in the school knew her and liked her a great deal. We are very sorry for your great loss and will miss her at 435 CPW.

Goodbye, Aunt Lillian, a good friend to my parents even before I was born. An amazing person I got to know even better as an adult. I always admired how you were the life of the party. How I looked forward to our weekly phone conversations about politics, the small talk, the notes you sent me and some fun stories about the old days. You will always hold a special place in my heart. I'm grateful for all the love and memories you have given me. I will miss you deeply.

Dear Bjørg, a firework of a human being. You knew what you wanted, and truly brought more color to the world. Thank you for caring so much for our mother/grandmother, and your «extra» grandchildren. wishing you a wonderful last adventure. We will think fondly of the memories we shared. Love, Marie, Ola, Eva, Markus, Kasper, Kjærsti, Tore

Some of my earliest memories are of Lillian—or Lilli, as my family and I always called her. I echo my parents’ sentiments, Lilli was more than our next-door neighbor, she was like a Great Auntie to me. She was one of my first babysitters, and I loved spending time at her house. She had the best toys—I will never forget the giant yellow bulldozer truck that felt bigger than I was. And who could forget her two cats? Those were awesome times. Lilli was there through all my growing-up moments. Timeless memories of eagerly announcing my latest exam scores to her or (during my teenage years) stealthily jingling my keys to lock the door while sneaking out, trying desperately not to disappoint my parents OR her. What made Lilli so special was how full her life was. She could tell stories about her travels abroad or her years as a teacher serving students in New York City. She even helped me with my homework when I was struggling—thank you for that, Lilli. She was always up to something interesting, whether it was taking piano lessons or hosting what I secretly called the “Finer Things Club.” She had this natural way of making everything she did feel extraordinary. Lilli, you’ll always be part of my life, and I’ll always think of you as one of the coolest people I’ve ever known. Love, Naqi A. Cruz 6T

I was Lillian’s neighbor for over 16 years. She IS a kind and gentle soul. Strong and resilient. I watched her raise her boys and cats, loving them and grieving when one of them transitioned. I am saddened now by her transition but at the same time I am uplifted by the knowledge and love she gave to her loved ones who proceed her. Knowing I will see her again when my call comes. I love you, Lillian. Peace and Joy until I see you again. Love Andre D. Applewhite