Birgit Magnus
POLSON — Birgit Dundas Magnus moved on to a new life on June 4, 2019 at age 97. At age 6 she emigrated from Norway with her family to the United States. They lived briefly in North Dakota until her father acquired a teaching position at U.C. Berkeley. From then on she considered herself a California Girl, even after retiring permanently to Polson in 2015. However, she thoroughly enjoyed many summers at her Flathead Lake (side) home.
She was a woman of many talents, honing her skills at the San Francisco Art Institute. Her preferred medium was portraiture. Of special interest to the Polson community are the seven panels that grace the front of the Museum of America. She was also an excellent seamstress. During the course of her long life she worked with her husband in his businesses and ultimately retired from IBM in San Jose, California, as their first female senior buyer.
Birgit was preceded in death by her parents, Bjarne and Hilda Motzfeldt Dundas; her siblings, George and Hilda Hughes, and Roy; as well as her husband, Lawrence “Bill” Magnus and their daughter, Marcy.
She is survived by her daughter, Cheryl Austin of Solomons of Maryland, and her son, Lawrence “Greg” Magnus (Ann Itaas) of Ronan. Also surviving her are her granddaughters, Stacey Kennett and Thea Noll of Maryland, Tosca Magnus (Charlie Turnbull) of Austin, Texas, and Stine Magnus of Copenhagen, Denmark. She also had five great-grandchildren, as well as numerous nieces and nephews.
A graveside gathering was held at Oak Hill Cemetery in San Jose, where she is buried next to her husband. Donations may be made in her memory to a charity of choice.
