Birgit Elisabet Prior

Birgit Elisabet (Liz) Prior ~ 1932-2022

Birgit was born on March 20, 1932, in Furuvik, Sweden, to Margareta (Greta) Elisabet and Elis Johannes Jansson. When Birgit was five, her father was in a car accident and then developed tuberculosis and died. She began school in Sweden, skiing there through the winter forest with her friends. When Birgit was 12, her mother married Erik Wain Prior, a Danish widower with a young son. Erik's father had been commander in chief of the Danish army during the early part of the German occupation in World War II. The family moved to Hvidovre, Denmark, where Birgit attended school with other immigrant children and learned Danish as well as English.

After completing school, Birgit began to work in various travel-related positions including:

• International Travel Service Overseas Passenger Bureau in Copenhagen, Denmark (ticketing, bookkeeping, ticket accounting)

• Child care in the home of an Air Liaison officer in the American Consulate in London, England, and in the home of renowned physicians in New York (to improve her English)

• Robson of England Travel Ltd. in New York

• United Airlines in New York and New Jersey, 1961-1991 (internal report processing, statistics, refund correspondence, created new system for preventing credit card fraud, tickets by mail, reservation support, payroll records, reservation service)

Birgit was consistently lauded for her outstanding work and personality. To her American coworkers and friends, she was affectionately known as Liz (from her middle name, Elisabet). After settling in the United States, she continued traveling worldwide to experience other cultures and meet new people.

Liz enjoyed spending weekends on Lake Hopatcong, New Jersey, with Scandinavian and American friends at the Suomi Hovi resort and Jefferson House. For winter fun, she joined a lake-area snowmobile club. In 1973, she bought a house near the lake and loved hosting guests, including overseas family and friends. Follow­ing retirement in 1991, Liz remained active in outdoor activities and various social groups. With a deep love of nature, animals, and people, she supported nonprofit organizations dedicated to their welfare. She fed the birds every winter and, through the years, adopted numerous cats (and one mouse, which ate dry cat food each night in a carton by the refrigerator). Her last cat was beloved Tiger.

Five days after Liz’s 90th birthday, following a fall, she went to the hospital. Several months later, while recuperating at Merry Heart Assisted Living, she fell again. Birgit Elisabet Prior passed away on November 17, 2022, at Saint Clare’s Hospital in Denville, New Jersey. Her family and friends in Sweden, Denmark, and the United States deeply miss her quick wit, beautiful smile, generous spirit, insight into human nature, sense of style, eagerness to explore the world, and love for all living beings.

Birgit Elisabet: We love you and miss you.

A memorial gathering to honor Birgit Elisabet Prior was held at Camp Jefferson in Lake Hopatcong on her birthday – March 20, 2023.