Trine-Liv Weyman

Trine-Liv (Stensrud) Weyman 1923-2017
Trine-Liv Stensrud passed away on January 3 in Phoebe Berks Village in Wernersville, PA. She was born in 1923 in Oslo, Norway. Throughout her life her homeland was a cherished source of tradition and inspiration. Her parents, Ole and Ida Stensrud had a total of 16 siblings so she and her older brother Anton spent much of their childhood years with their numerous cousins. They regularly visited the family hut where they hiked, skied, and picked blueberries in the mountains. She was also a member of the Girl Scouts and the BUL-Oslo Orienteering Club.
The defining event of her teenage years was the Nazi occupation of Norway when she was 17. She has vivid memories of the day that Nazi airplanes first flew over Oslo and foot soldiers moved into her neighborhood. The occupation years permanently influenced her life in many ways. She learned first- hand the horrors of war and always had sympathy for any people who were occupied by a foreign army.
While her brother was a radio operator for the Norwegian resistance, during much of the occupation her parents sent her to live on a rural farm where she was much less likely to contact German troops. The farm was located near a prisoner-of-war camp that held Russian troops captured on the eastern front. Through the fence she and her friends were able to converse with the captives and learn of their uncertain plight. Since they had surrendered to the Germans, they feared the worst when they returned to their homeland. She and her friends gave them extra vegetables from the farm, but instead of consuming them immediately they hung them on the fence to dry and said they were saving them for the journey home after the war.
By necessity, the Nazi occupation also instilled a love of gardening. Throughout her life, including her final year, her generosity with her abundant harvests were enjoyed and appreciated by many friends and neighbors.
In her late teen years and after the war she was a member of a folk dance group that toured internationally as ambassadors of Norwegian culture. On their way to a festival in Nice, France, they were the first group that was allowed to pass through Germany after it had surrendered. Here they witnessed the horrible destruction of war and it's severe effect on the ordinary citizens. Upon seeing the starvation throughout the countryside, the folk dancers gave away all of their chocolate and as much of their own limited food supply as they could possibly afford.
After the war she applied her business degree in a store in Oslo that sold home-made goods to locals and tourists. In 1954 one of those tourists, a doctor from Pennsylvania, struck up a conversation which resulted in a dinner invitation at her parents house. Several other visits were made before he returned home. They continued corresponding and the following year he returned to Oslo and proposed.
In 1955 she packed her belongings and boarded a boat for the two week trip to the United States. She arrived in the middle of a very hot summer, which didn't please her Norwegian blood, and on Sept 25 1955 William A. Weyman and Trine-Liv Stensrud were married in Reading Friends Meetinghouse. Shortly after settling into a stone house on Skyline Drive, on Mt Penn, above Reading Pa, two sons were born, Eric in 1956 and Fred in 1957.
While raising her sons, she worked year-round maintaining and improving the yard with trees, flowers, and vegetable gardens in a such a natural style that it concealed the careful planning, attention to detail, and hours of labor. She continued her enjoyment of hiking and skiing throughout her life and became a member of the Delaware Valley Orienteering Club where she won many age group competitions and was especially recognized for her detailed skill at course printing. Her non-stop activity continued indoors with countless knitting and sewing projects.
As a dedicated member of the Reading Friends Meeting, she enjoyed working on the hospitality committee and applied her considerable sewing skills with a group that met weekly to repair and recycle clothing for needy people worldwide.
In 1998 she moved into the Phoebe retirement community in Wernersville, Pa. For many years she was an active volunteer who especially enjoyed pushing wheelchairs, welcoming new residents, and comforting the elderly. She could often be found working on jigsaw puzzles in the lobby and of course making daily visits to her beloved garden.
Two memorial services will be held:
a�� On Thursday Jan. 19 at 11am at Phoebe Berks Village, 1 Reading Rd., Wernersville PA.
a�� On Saturday January 28 at 2pm at Reading Friends Meeting House, 108 North Sixth St., Reading PA.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in Trine-Liv's name to The American Friends Service Committee, 1501 Cherry St, Philadelphia, PA 19102
Bean Funeral Homes, 3825 Penn Ave. Sinking Spring is in charge of the arrangements and online condolences may be made at www.beanfuneralhomes.com