Twice honored for his service

Sverre E. Larsen, 76, a physical therapist, artist and musician who gave up a promising career in show business to care for others with a selflessness that earned him honors from two nations, died July 7 at Pottstown Memorial Medical Center after an apparent heart attack.

A tall man with a muscular build and quiet manner, Mr. Larsen grew up in Aas, Norway, and was preparing to return there at the time of his death.

The northern Chester County resident received his diploma in nursing from Ulleval Hospital in Oslo in 1959. And with that, his life was at a crossroads. Having trained at the Music Conservatory of Oslo as well, Mr. Larsen had been offered a scholarship to study opera in Milan, said longtime friend June Medal. At the same time, he had an opportunity to serve with the Norwegian Army troops patrolling Gaza as part of a U.N. mission, or to take a job as a private nurse to a wealthy client in the United States.

In the end, Mr. Larsen, who also spoke Swedish, became a private nurse to philanthropist and businessman Alarik Wilhelm Hjalmar Myrin, husband of Mabel Pew Myrin, one of the founders of the Pew Charitable Trusts.

"It was rough in the beginning, but I came to a wonderful family," Mr. Larsen said in a 1994 Inquirer story. "They took really good care of me."

When it appeared that visa problems would keep Mr. Larsen from working for Myrin, President Dwight D. Eisenhower "made it possible for him to come to this wonderful country," Medal said.

After Myrin died in 1970, his wife gave Mr. Larsen the 19th-century stone home in Coventryville where he was living when he died.

In 1972, Mr. Larsen joined the physical therapy staff at Phoenixville Hospital, where he specialized in the treatment of burn victims. He retired in 1998.

Through the years, he stayed active with the Norwegian community and was a mainstay of the Philadelphia Norwegian Seaman's Church in Philadelphia for 45 years, serving as newsletter editor, trustee, and chairman.

"He would come in and take over when the hostess had the day off," Medal said. "His speciality was making waffles for the Norwegian seamen."

When Norwegian parents would bring their children to Children's Hospital of Philadelphia or the Alfred I. duPont Hospital in Wilmington for treatment, Mr. Larsen would help them with transportation, shopping, and even offered his home to them for lodging, Medal said. One year, when a ship from Norway was in drydock, he invited the entire crew to spend Christmas at his home in Coventryville.

For his untiring service to the Norwegian community, Mr. Larsen was awarded the St. Olaf Medal of Honor by King Harald V in 2004. He also received the Legion of Honor from the Chapel of Four Chaplains.

Mr. Larsen was a fine landscape painter, a pianist, and a tenor who could sing in German, Swedish, Italian and Norwegian.

"He had a beautiful singing voice," Medal said, adding that he was in great demand for weddings, churches and Christmas parties.

He also played the accordion, and was in a small band called the Northlanders who would dress up in native costumes and play at colleges, ethnic festivals and weddings throughout the area.

He is survived by a brother and a sister who live in Norway, and several nieces and nephews.

Burial will be in Norway.

A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday at Coventryville United Methodist Church, 1521 Old Ridge Rd., Pottstown.

The Norwegian Seaman's Church will hold another memorial service Oct. 21 at 4 p.m. in Gloria Dei Church, Columbus Boulevard and Christian Street.

Donations may be made to Camphill Village Kimberton Hills, Box 1045, Kimberton, Pa. 19442.