Death of a Wife - Fride Egidius Philpot

Death of a Wife - Fride Egidius Philpot Fride Egidius Philpot, 89, of Cottage Grove, OR, passed away on the morning of Monday, May 9, 2022. She was born Oct 1, 1932, in Brummen, Netherlands, the fourth daughter of Dr. Thorvald Fredrick Egidius and Emmerentia Haaze van Doorninck. She grew up in Ramstad, a suburb of Oslo, Norway where she skied to school in the winter and often knitted during lectures. She loved visiting the family cottage, cross-country skiing, hiking, and orienteering in the mountains, learning Latin names of wildflowers from her father, and participating in the Girl Scouts. Her idyllic life drastically changed during the German occupation of Norway during WWII, a period full of stories of hardship, hunger, and cross-fire that she would later tell to her children and grandchildren. She met the love of her life, Marvin Philpot of Garden City, KS in 1951 when, as a midshipman of the US Naval Academy, he visited Oslo for five days. Though their time together was brief, Fride knew he would come back for her. Their romance continued during three years of letter writing until they were reunited for Marvin’s graduation, when he proposed to her. They were married shortly after in Norway on September 16, 1954. During Marvin’s active duty, Fride was an exceptional Navy wife, caring for home and three young children while her husband was at sea and organizing family camping trips, volunteering, and cooking holiday dinners for enlisted men when he was home. She also worked for the Navy Relief Society and perfected her renowned organizational and packing skills during 16 moves in 18 years as Marvin was assigned to various bases along the Eastern seaboard, from upstate New York to Key West, FL, as well as one move to California. After Marvin was transferred to Offutt AFB in Bellevue, NE, a new chapter of life began for Fride on the Philpot family farm in Cass County. She cherished the quiet countryside, where, with a fourth young child in tow, she planted an enormous vegetable garden and numerous flower beds. Always a woman deeply connected with nature, she preferred to work without gardening gloves so she could savor the rich earth between her fingers, and she never ceased to find new ways to share her love with the local animals of the farm. She installed bird houses and faithfully filled their feeders, rehabilitated and released wounded birds and orphaned baby rabbits, and provided a home for an astounding variety of critters in need—including a 13-striped ground squirrel, a raccoon, a lost kitten, and an abundance of dogs. Later in life she even adopted a capricious though unforgettable donkey! Owls were particularly close to her heart, their shining wide eyes found everywhere about the farm house, from trinkets that adorned the shelves to her cozy sweaters—the memorable Fride aesthetic. Fride loved crafts and was always busy creating, whether clothes, afghans, baby blankets, shawls, hats, scarves, quilts, home textiles, needlework art or Christmas decorations. She shared this love of craft with the many girls in her charge as a Girl Scout troop leader in Weeping Water and devoted sweaty weeks every August to the craft department of the Cass County Fair. Her Norwegian and Dutch roots formed the foundation of many family traditions, especially at Christmas, which brimmed with an abundance of Scandinavian decorations on display and dozens of varieties of cookies she baked and happily shared with eager recipients. She enjoyed many return trips to Norway, visiting family and reveling in the beauty of the country she always considered home. Her beloved husband passed in 1990 but she stayed at their farm for many years, bravely navigating a new life without her Love, displaying inspiring fortitude and resourcefulness. She devoted her time to friends and family, her job at the Offutt Officers Spouses Club Thrift Shoppe, and the organizations dear to her heart: the Henry Doorly Zoo and the Nebraska Girl Scout Order of the Silver Trefoil, the latter of which she was member until the day she passed. Since his passing, Fride always believed that Marvin was waiting for her. And now they are indeed reunited: the tall, handsome naval officer and the beautiful, strong Dutch-Norwegian woman, once again side by side. She is survived by her children Emmerentia Guthrie, Catherine Anderson, Lloyd Philpot, and Mary-Rose Joshi; grandchildren, Emmerentia Jo, Corey, Tyler, Spencer, Chase, Meera and Nathan; great-grandchildren, Emmerentia Lynn, Connor, Hadley, Sloane, Riley and Callum. She is also survived by her constant canine companion, Maggie. In addition to her parents, Fride was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Marvin Philpot, her sisters Nanna Helle, Emmerentia Egidius, and Quirina Stenersen, and daughter Mary Elizabeth. A private family service will be held. Please visit the Tribute Wall above if you would like to light a candle for Fride or share a story or memory with her family. Fride was a generous woman that supported many charities, including those listed below. In lieu of flowers you can choose to donate to an organization listed under Memorial Contributions or plant a tree. NOTE about Wildlife Safari (Winston, OR): This is an organization new to Fride – she visited this park 2 or 3 times this last year and intended to make a donation but didn’t get the chance before passing. She was very impressed with this park and strongly believed in their conservation efforts, so if you want to choose one, it would have meant a great deal to her for this place to receive funds on her behalf. Smith Lund Mills Funeral Chapel & Crematorium 123 South Seventh Street Cottage Grove, OR 97424 https://www.smithlundmills.com/obituaries/Fride-Egidius-Philpot?obId=24905607#/obituaryInfo ...