Obituary for Britt A. Olszta
Britt Agnes (Helleberg) Olszta, beloved mother and grandmother, died peacefully on Sunday evening, August 16th, 2020 at the Merrimack County Nursing Home in Boscawen, New Hampshire. Prior to entering long-term care, Britt had been a 37-year resident of Nashua, NH where she became an American citizen in 1989.
Britt was born in Säbrå, Sweden on September 15th, 1925 to parents Sigurd and Dagmar (Hagström) Helleberg. She grew up in Härnösand, Sweden with her father, three brothers Jan (Nalle), Berndt (Burre), and Lars, two sisters Dagmar and Karin, and stepmother Maja (Andersson) after her mother passed away when she was age 4. Britt trained as a dietician in Uppsala, Sweden and worked in several institutions throughout Sweden before moving to Pusan, Korea to work as a dietician and food service director in the Swedish Red Cross Hospital supporting U.S. soldiers in the post-Korean war effort. In Korea, she met her husband to be, Edward W. Olszta, an officer and B-29 aircraft navigator in the U.S. Air Force. Britt and Edward were married in Stockholm, Sweden in 1956 and were together for 28 years, living in Paris, France, St. Petersburg, FL, and then finally Nashua, NH until 1984 when Edward passed away. Britt worked for a period of time for the NH Cooperative Extension helping and teaching young mothers how to make healthy meals for their families and beginning in 1972 Britt became the cafeteria Director of the Hudson, NH school district food service. Britt was very proud of her employees and the success of the school lunch program under her 30-year guidance.
Britt loved Swedish baking, classical music, international travel, and doing a wide-variety of activities with her two grand-daughters Angela and Jessica. Later in life she greatly enjoyed learning to horseback ride. She was well-known for her love for animals and was an active member in several animal protection organizations working as an advocate for animal welfare. She often participated in public demonstrations and handed out literature against fur trapping equipment and techniques, lab animal vivisection, and all forms of animal cruelty.
Britt is survived by her son Michael and daughter-in-law Deborah (Bathalon) Olszta, of Manchester, NH formerly of Nashua, NH, two grand-daughters Angela Olszta of Southern Maine and Jessica (Olszta) Holland and her husband Robert J. Holland Jr. of Nashua, NH, sister Karin (Helleberg) Swedberg of Stockholm, Sweden, and several nieces, nephews, grand-nieces, grand-nephews, great-grand nieces, and great-grand nephews, all in Sweden.
SERVICES: A walk through Visitation will be held at The Davis Funeral Home, One Lock Street, Nashua NH., on Thursday, August 20th, 2020 from 6:00 to 8:00 PM. A committal and burial service will be at Edgewood Cemetery 107 Amherst St, Nashua, NH on Monday, August 24th at 11:00 AM. Family and friends are invited to attend while observing social distancing and mask mandates. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Britt’s honor to the NH Animal Rights League through their website at https://nhanimalrights.org/ or by mail at; NH Animal Rights League, Inc. PO Box 4211, Concord, NH 03302-4211. The Davis funeral Home has been placed in charge of arrangements. An online guest-book is available at http://davisfuneralhomenh.com (603) 883-3401 “ONE MEMORY LIGHTS ANOTHER.”
Britt was born in Säbrå, Sweden on September 15th, 1925 to parents Sigurd and Dagmar (Hagström) Helleberg. She grew up in Härnösand, Sweden with her father, three brothers Jan (Nalle), Berndt (Burre), and Lars, two sisters Dagmar and Karin, and stepmother Maja (Andersson) after her mother passed away when she was age 4. Britt trained as a dietician in Uppsala, Sweden and worked in several institutions throughout Sweden before moving to Pusan, Korea to work as a dietician and food service director in the Swedish Red Cross Hospital supporting U.S. soldiers in the post-Korean war effort. In Korea, she met her husband to be, Edward W. Olszta, an officer and B-29 aircraft navigator in the U.S. Air Force. Britt and Edward were married in Stockholm, Sweden in 1956 and were together for 28 years, living in Paris, France, St. Petersburg, FL, and then finally Nashua, NH until 1984 when Edward passed away. Britt worked for a period of time for the NH Cooperative Extension helping and teaching young mothers how to make healthy meals for their families and beginning in 1972 Britt became the cafeteria Director of the Hudson, NH school district food service. Britt was very proud of her employees and the success of the school lunch program under her 30-year guidance.
Britt loved Swedish baking, classical music, international travel, and doing a wide-variety of activities with her two grand-daughters Angela and Jessica. Later in life she greatly enjoyed learning to horseback ride. She was well-known for her love for animals and was an active member in several animal protection organizations working as an advocate for animal welfare. She often participated in public demonstrations and handed out literature against fur trapping equipment and techniques, lab animal vivisection, and all forms of animal cruelty.
Britt is survived by her son Michael and daughter-in-law Deborah (Bathalon) Olszta, of Manchester, NH formerly of Nashua, NH, two grand-daughters Angela Olszta of Southern Maine and Jessica (Olszta) Holland and her husband Robert J. Holland Jr. of Nashua, NH, sister Karin (Helleberg) Swedberg of Stockholm, Sweden, and several nieces, nephews, grand-nieces, grand-nephews, great-grand nieces, and great-grand nephews, all in Sweden.
SERVICES: A walk through Visitation will be held at The Davis Funeral Home, One Lock Street, Nashua NH., on Thursday, August 20th, 2020 from 6:00 to 8:00 PM. A committal and burial service will be at Edgewood Cemetery 107 Amherst St, Nashua, NH on Monday, August 24th at 11:00 AM. Family and friends are invited to attend while observing social distancing and mask mandates. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Britt’s honor to the NH Animal Rights League through their website at https://nhanimalrights.org/ or by mail at; NH Animal Rights League, Inc. PO Box 4211, Concord, NH 03302-4211. The Davis funeral Home has been placed in charge of arrangements. An online guest-book is available at http://davisfuneralhomenh.com (603) 883-3401 “ONE MEMORY LIGHTS ANOTHER.”