Carl Gunnar Fonden

Carl Gunnar Fonden, age 88, a longtime resident of Milford, NH, passed away on April 12th, 2014 at the Veterans Administration Hospital’s Community Living Center of Manchester, NH. Carl (Charlie) was born in Kearny, New Jersey on October 23rd, 1925, the son of the late Gunnar Olaf Fonden and the late Elsa Christine Natalia (Lindquist) Fonden, and the elder brother of the late Arthur Olaf Fonden. Carl was raised in New Jersey and Sweden. After high school, he enlisted in the US Army during World War II and served as a navigator in the Army Air Corps flying B-29s in the Pacific based out of Saipan. After the war, Carl completed college and moved to Sacramento, California where he later met and married his wife Doris Irene (Thomas) Fonden. After being recalled to active duty for the Korean War, Carl subsequently completed a 20-year career in the US Air Force in Intelligence (that included a tour of duty in Vietnam in the early 1960s), retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel in 1968. Carl was an avid geographer, historian, linguist, and traveler. He was fluent in Swedish, French, German, and Russian, and enjoyed traveling throughout Western Europe and the Mediterranean. All of his life, Carl advocated the importance of learning and applying the timeless lessons learned from mankind’s history, going back to ancient history. He studied comparative history well into his 80’s, as well as the reading/writing of Hieroglyphic, Cuneiform, Hebrew, and Arabic languages. Carl leaves behind an extensive collection of books, research notes, family ancestral records and mementos. He enjoyed romantic-era piano music, poetry, and movies. He is the last of a family generation, who, despite growing up in tough times, living through three wars, the 1960’s, and 9-11, held a steadfast ‘hope’ for our future. He is surely rejoicing in heaven with the love of his life, Doris (Doddie). Carl was predeceased by his wife of 58 years, Doris, in 2009. Carl is survived by their three children, son and daughter-in-law Robert W. and Carol J. (Schroepfer) Fonden of Nashua, NH, son and daughter-in-law Ronald G. and Ruth R. (Bruneau) Fonden of Federal Way, WA, and daughter and son-in-law Diane J. (Fonden) Nederveld and Jon O. Nederveld of Estes Park, CO. Their nine grand-children are Stephen and Laura; Christin, Rebekah, Melanie and Elisabeth; and Brian, Christopher, and Andrew. Their six great-grand-children are Katherine and Amelia; Aaliyah; and Xavier, Quentin, and Melodi. Visiting hours will be Thursday, April 17th from 10:00-11:00 am at the Milford United Methodist Church. The funeral service will be held Thursday, April 17th at 11:00 am at the Milford United Methodist Church, 327 North River Road, Milford, NH. Burial with military honors will follow in Riverside Cemetery, Milford, NH. Donations in Carl’s memory are encouraged to be made to SHARE Outreach Inc., 1 Columbus Avenue, Milford, NH 03055. (603) 673-9898. www.sharenh.org.