Nils H. Holgersson

Nils Holgersson, 86, of Coal Valley, Illinois, died Sunday, October 4, 2015, in UnityPoint Heath - Trinity Rock Island, Rock Island, Illinois.

Services are 11:00 a.m. Friday at Trinity Lutheran Church, Coal Valley, with The Reverend Robert Hagen officiating. Burial is in Coal Valley Cemetery. Visitation is 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday at the church. Memorials may be made to the church or Ludwig Center for Liver Cancer Research at the University of Chicago. Trimble Funeral Home, Coal Valley, is serving the family.

Nils Holger Holgersson was born January 15, 1929, in Chicago, Illinois, to Nils Emanuel and Vera Sund Holgersson. He was raised in Sweden and joined the Swedish Defense Youth Organization when he was 14 years old. His father was a foster son to Selma Lagerlöff, well known Swedish author who was the first woman to win the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1906, and whose book "The Adventures of Nils Holgersson" has been printed in over 90 languages.

Nils returned to the United States with his family in 1948, married Vera Eklund on February 25, 1950, and served in the Illinois National Guard. He was employed in marketing by the Moline Daily Dispatch, retiring in 1995, and previously worked for the Chicago Tribune, Augustana Book Concern, and K-Mart Corporation. He was a member of Trinity Lutheran Church, Coal Valley, and the Scandinavian Association at Augustana College. He was a world-class miler in his younger years, and an avid golfer, still playing regularly three times a week. He loved reading, especially history, current affairs, and the economy, and religiously charted various economic activities for the past 34 years. He built several homes for his family, and enjoyed traveling, gardening, and playing "Age of Empires."

Nils is survived by his wife of 65 years, Vera; four children and their spouses, James and Sandra Holgersson of Modesto, California, and Holger Dale and Rhonda Holgersson, Susan D. Holgersson and Moose, and Anders and Sheri Holgersson, all of Coal Valley; nine grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren with two more eagerly anticipated this year.

Nils' family invites friends to share stories and condolences and light a free candle in his memory at www.TrimbleFuneralHomes.com.