Ingrid Margareta Slawson

SLAWSON Ingrid Margareta Johansson Ingrid Margareta Johansson Slawson died peacefully at home on Thursday, July 8, 2010, at 11:00 p.m. She was 82. Surviving are her loving husband of 58 years, Raleigh A. Slawson, and their five children Eva Slawson (Toledo), Kent Slawson (Dayton,TN), Geoffrey Slawson (wife Marna) (Homewood, IL), Jonathan Slawson (Toledo), and Eric Slawson (Toledo); also with grandson,Matthew McCormmick (Talladega,AL). Also surviving are her brother, Bengt Johansson (wife Margareta)(and their family in Sweden). The daughter of Wanja and Ivar Johansson, Ingrid was born and raised in Stockholm, Sweden along with her brother, Bengt. Curious and smart from an early age, Ingrid visited different churches on Sunday mornings, studied 5 different languages while in school, and spent time in the north of Sweden during World War II at the young age of 14 helping to spot German aircraft over the Swedish homeland. When she was 19, she worked for a year as a mother's helper with the Campbell family outside London, England, whom she remained in touch with for many decades after. Then, at 20, Ingrid came to Bowling Green to improve her English language skills and to study Journalism at BGSU, where she was a guest at the Delta Gamma Housefor a year and a semester. It is then that she met Raleigh through mutual friends just a few months before she was to return to Sweden to pursue her Journalism career. Returning to Sweden, she worked at a newspaper in Gavle, Sweden. Raleigh was a"very good letter writer" and so for a year and a half, she returned to Bowling Green and they were married within a week on December 8, 1951, at the First Unitarian Church of Toledo (then at Collingwood and Bancroft in Toledo, OH). Both Raleighand Ingrid were active in the Unitarian Church, and together they raised their children in Bowling Green and then in Northwood, OH. Ingrid retired from the Unemployment Office after 23 years as a claims examiner. She earned her Bachelors Degree at age 50, and her Masters in Liberal Studies at age 55 from UT, with a thesis comparing the Great Depression in the United States and in Sweden.She was a near-founding member and former president of the Scandinavian Club of Toledo in which she was very active. She was a Girl Scout Leader several years, and wrote a column for the Girl Scouts in the East Toledo Sun newspaper. Raleigh and Ingrid enjoyed travel to Europe, Hawaii and Alaska, and she was able to take each of her children back to Sweden to meet her family there. The last number of years were harder as she fought off an illness each year, it seemed. But she remained cheerful and positive through it all. She will be deeply missed. The memorial service will at 2:00 p.m. on Monday, July 12, 2010, at the First Unitarian Church of Toledo, 3205 Glendale Ave., Toledo, Ohio 43614. Donations can be made to the First Unitarian Church of Toledo.

Service Information

Monday, July 12th, 2010 2:00pm, First Unitarian

Interment Details