Enar Ingemar Gustavsson

Enar Ingemar Gustavsson, 91, of Hillsdale NY, passed away suddenly on March 18, 2024, in the company of two of his best friends. Born July 10, 1932, in Soderhamn, Sweden, the son of Enar and Gunhild Gustavsson, the husband of Matilde Campos Cruz Gustavsson. Ingemar's life was too multifaceted and exciting to summarize . His Swedish youth spent with his brothers Sten Gunnar and Lars and his best friend Janne, then a stint in the Swedish Army, then leaving home to explore the world as ship's carpenter in the Swedish Merchant Marines. As with so many immigrants, opportunity, aspiration and hope brought him to the US, starting businesses in construction and then computer flooring before retirement. Early on he met Matilde, the love of his life, in night school learning English and who he married and raised two children with until her passing 55 years later. Ingemar loved adventure. He wintered every year in St Croix and traversed the entire Caribbean in a converted dugout canoe with his sailing buddies. Not content with that, he traveled deep into South America, building bamboo rafts and navigating the Magdalen and Amazon rivers. He sailed with his nephew Albert across the Baltic. In later years, he volunteered in the Coast Guard Auxiliary, keeping the Hudson River safe and secure. Joining Matilde brought him a whole new Colombian family whom he adored. He wholly adopted the Colombian culture; there was no party unattended and no aguardiente not drunk. Even though his Spanish was mostly nonexistent, he easily communicated with his new family just by the love he gave. But he never ever forgot his Swedish roots, heritage and traditions (especially on Christmas Eve with his lutefisk.) Ingemar and Matilde traveled the world together but made a life in Thornwood NY and what became their final home in upstate NY at Chaparral, his personal Shangri-La. There he built all the buildings, dug all the ponds, plowed all the roads, as often as not all by himself. Some of his best friendships were formed during this time, with "the boys" daily visits starting with coffee and ending with cocktail hour, with lots of wood chopping and deer hunting in between. His later years were spent caring for Matilde, to whom he devoted all his love and energy. He was crushed by her death in 2016, but nonetheless persevered. With Ingemar you had a fun-loving friend for life. He loved company and camaraderie as much as he did just puttering around on his own. His can-do attitude was inspiring; his childish glee was infectious. He never stopped exploring and trying new things. And above all, family was the most important thing to him. Ingemar was a loving husband, father and friend and is survived by his daughter, Clara of East Haven, CT, his son John and son-in-law Stuart of Portland, OR, sister-in-law Majbritt of Bouze, AZ and many beloved nieces and nephews, in Sweden, Colombia and the USA, as well as 2 cats, many Canada geese, and assorted chickens. A memorial get-together for family and friends will be announced later in the spring. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to The Residents Fund in memory of Ingemar Gustavsson, Pine Haven Rehabilitation Center, 201 Main St, Philmont NY 12565 or Columbia Memorial Hospital, Hudson NY at Ways to Give - CMH Foundation (givecmh.org)

Enar Ingemar Gustavsson

July 10, 1932 - March 18, 2024

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Enar Ingemar Gustavsson

July 10, 1932 - March 18, 2024

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