Thelma Emily (Hansen) Soberg

Thelma Emily Soberg, was born in Concord, MA on October 29th, 1926. She passed away peacefully on April 1st, 2021 at the age of 94 of natural causes. She is the daughter of Elisabeth and Herman Hansen, is predeceased by her siblings Edie, Frank, Margaret (Malla), Elisabeth (Lizzie), and survived by her sister Lillian. Thelma "Tema'' is predeceased by her beloved husband Howie, whom she was married to for 74 years. With Howie's passing in March 2021, Tema and Howie are now lovingly back together again. Tema is survived by her four sons and their spouses or significant others; Dana and Ellen of Ayer, MA, William and Rita of Littleton, MA, Peter and Diane of Lehigh Acres, FL, and H. Joseph Jr. and Julie of Acton, MA. Tema was the loving grandmother to Craig, Kelsey, Dakota, Taylor, Mackenzie, and Eric, and great grandmother to Isabel, Bailee, Grace, Maddoxx, Lilaa, Ethan and aunt to many nieces and nephews.

Tema was a lifelong resident and community member of Concord. She worked at a local grocery store in town, and volunteered to collect the census and worked at the poll stations for voting. She worked at Concord's Council on Aging gift shop with her sister Lil and their friends to organize and sell donated items. The gift shop raised funds each year that went toward Council on Aging program's and other needs in town. Tema was a member of the Concord Senior Shakers, where she and her friends performed playing tambourines for senior centers, nursing homes, churches, and community events. The Senior Shakers even had the opportunity to travel to perform on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. While she raised her four boys with Howie, she kept her community and neighbors close by hosting game nights and dinners. Tema also had a crafting club with her close friends Rose, Myrt, and Mulla every Tuesday.

Tema is remembered for embracing everyone that entered her home with a warm welcoming hug. She is fondly remembered for her great sense of humor. Tema has a large extended family of Hansen siblings, cousins, and their many grandchildren. She and her siblings hosted family reunions, get-togethers, and large Christmas Eve parties. She would prepare for holiday parties by baking a large variety of Norwegian cookies; krumkake, sandbakkels and fattigman to name a few with her sisters and friends. She cooked traditional Norweigan meals, and arranged for Santa to arrive for the little ones on Christmas Eve. Tema would play her organ while everyone danced or sang along.

Tema and Howie traveled and went on many adventures with family and friends. Their travels included cross country road-trips, Italy, Mexico, Bermuda, and they visited Howie's extended family in Norway. She and Howie renewed their 50th wedding vows on a cruise in Alaska. Howie and Thelma in their retirement took their grandchildren on many small adventures which included bringing Craig up from Florida for many summers, going to the Aquarium, book stores, flea markets, museums, The Friendly Farm, and trips to ice cream shops. Scoops ice cream on the way home from Newfound Lake was a must!

Tema and Howie enjoyed spending vacations and weekends at their family cottage located in Bristol, NH on Newfound Lake. As a member of the Camelot Acres Residence Association, she and Howie enjoyed their lake community of friends. Tema enjoyed many activities at the lake which included swimming, fishing with Howie and her boys, spending time on the beach with her friends, bird watching, playing card games, playing rounds of hide and seek at night with family and friends, and cross country skiing in the winter.

Tema was the memory keeper of her family. She created many scrapbooks of her and Howie's vacations, made photo albums for grandchildren, and had collections of written memories and tokens saved from their travels. She made a point to share memories with her friends and family through crafted cards, and would always make each event or birthday feel special. Tema also crafted keepsakes for her family and friends which included paintings, ornaments, pressed flower cards, and ceramics. She was the ultimate caregiver, the best "Grammy", a fun sister and a good friend to those she knew. Tema will be deeply missed, dearly remembered, and will always be greatly loved by her family.

To view Thelma's funeral service, please use the link below:

https://youtu.be/W9uOUZtkm2s

In lieu of flowers, a donation can be made in Thelma's name to:
Concord's Council on Aging (CCOA).
1276 Main Street
Concord, MA 01742