Memorial words about Bodil Francke-Ohlsson
Bodil Francke-Ohlsson, Lund, has died at the age of 86 years. The closest relatives are her daughter, son-in-law, bonus son, grandchildren – and great-grandchildren. /uploads/2021/05/52d716b9e99e73f5703c320c28f73168.jpg “/>My grandmother did not bake buns or knit scarves. During my overnight stays at her farm outside Trelleborg, we often made an impulsive stop at Ica to even have dinner at home. We filled the basket with vegetarian frozen goods but above all with cakes and goodies. Good of life. Bodil was a member of the Riksdag, a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, an environmental activist, mother and grandmother – not necessarily in that order. Cooking was not included, but stories about travels around the world, conversations about art and nuclear power plants, girls' schooling and animal rights. That is, the important thing. Bodil was born on June 6, 1934 in Lund as the only daughter of a teacher couple. In 1994, at the age of 60, she was elected to the Riksdag. She worked on human rights issues in Belarus and Afghanistan and I remember her stories about trips to a war-torn Kabul, about grief and destruction but also about the beauty she encountered. Through a political career in her 60s, Bodil broke the norm of what a woman can do and especially when she has to do it. For me, as a girl, she was synonymous with independence and success, with her weekly commuting, her costume costumes and minimal time for cleaning. She dedicated her life to social issues. But Bodil did not see it as his duty to help, instead it came naturally and with a heartfelt joy. When I needed extra work as a teenager, I was not asked to pick weeds or paint fences – instead, Grandma sent English documents for translation. She thus did her granddaughter a great service. In the same spirit, our Christmas presents were usually products or books whose author she came across and wanted to support. A standing joke in the family when we opened her Christmas presents was; “Is there anything wrong with Afghanistan or Belarus?” The family was important to Bodil, the close family as well as the human race. She was awarded the Tångräkan, Trelleborg Municipality's environmental prize, in 2001, and from a long text, part of the motivation is extra telling; “A strong-willed hiker who thinks globally and acts internationally, nationally and locally.” In everything Bodil did low focus in the small near, as well as the big infinite. Many have talked about Bodil's selflessness and warm heart, both true. But I now think that it was her own appetite for life and the desire to live life to the max, as it is called in modern languages, that led her way. She loved everything life has to offer and wanted everyone to have the same opportunity to do the same. I remember my question; “Cream or ice cream for the cake?” and her given answers; “Both and, thank you.” Alexandra Zetterberg