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Obituaries » Inda Karlsons

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August 28, 1926 - January 23, 2020

A visitation will be held at Joldersma and Klein Funeral Home on Tuesday, January 28, 2020, from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM, followed by a traditional Latvian graveside service at Riverside Cemetery beginning at 11:30 AM. Memorials may be made to the Latvian Evangelical Lutheran Church, 122 Cherry Hill Kalamazoo MI 49006, or the Latvian Center Garezers, 57732 Lone Tree Road, Three Rivers, Michigan 49094-9549.

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Inda Karlsons passed away Thursday morning, January 23, peacefully and surrounded by her family. Inda was born August 28, 1926 in Vecpiebalga Latvia, emigrated to the United States in 1949 and has been a resident of Kalamazoo since that time. Inda fled Latvia from Soviet occupation at age 16 and finished her education in the refugee camps in post-war Germany where she resided for four years. She met her future husband Janis at that time, and together they started their new life in America. They made a great life for themselves, steadily improving their employment and eventually building their own businesses in insurance and accounting. In time they built the house of their dreams and enjoyed the company of friends and community, many of them previous Latvian refugees like themselves. Inda and Janis were married for over 70 years. Inda loved nature and especially flowers. Each season had a special place for her, whether tending flowers in the summer, hunting for mushrooms in the fall or cross-country skiing in the winter. She loved her dresses and loved them in all the colors of her flower gardens. She was always impeccably dressed. In the last three years, Inda resided at Bickford of Portage where she was surrounded by a warm and caring staff and visited frequently by friends. Inda is survived by her daughter Valda Karlsons and her grandchildren Anna (Brown) Szymula and Aldan Brown. She is preceded in death by one brother and three sisters.