Kim Nesselquist Obituary

Kim Nesselquist
December 5, 1956 — December 7, 2018

Norwegian Consul Kim Nesselquist died Dec. 7 in Seattle, after being diagnosed with renal cancer in March. Kim fell into a deep and peaceful sleep surrounded by his loved ones.

Kim was born in Fredrikstad, Norway, and grew up in Nesbyen, Norway. He traveled abroad to study at Pacific Lutheran University in 1980, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in political science. While at PLU he met Krystn Soltau, who would be his wife for 33 years. Upon graduation in 1983, they returned to Norway and lived in Drammen, Norway, until 1990. There, Kim worked as a political adviser for the Conservative Party, served as adviser in the mayor’s office in the city of Oslo, and as a deputy minister (Byraadssekretaer) of Health and Social Services. He was twice elected to the city council in his hometown of Drammen.

Upon returning to the United States in 1990, Kim established a real estate investment company. He served on the board of Work Wear, Inc. He also served as CEO of the Norwegian American Foundation and worked as director of the Office of Advancement and University Relations at Pacific Lutheran University. He also served as a regent at PLU.

Kim was proud of his Norwegian heritage and served on the boards of a number of Norwegian-American institutions, including the Norwegian-American Chamber of Commerce, of which he was president; the Norse Home Retirement Center; the Norwegian American Weekly; and the University of Washington Center for Scandinavian Studies.

In 1998, Kim was appointed by His Majesty King Harald V to represent Norway as Honorary Consul of Washington State and Idaho. It was a role Kim performed with great honor. In 2012, His Majesty King Harald V appointed Kim a Knight, First Class, for his tireless work in support of Norwegian interests. Kim carried out this responsibility with remarkable stamina, good humor, and enthusiasm. His respect, honorable ways, genuine kindness for all, and devotion and dedication to all things Norway will leave an unparalleled legacy both in Norway and the United States.

His greatest achievement is his family, and they will miss him every day.

Kim is survived by his mother, Elsa Nesselquist of Nesbyen, Norway; his wife, Krystn (Soltau), daughter Elise (Nesselquist) Brueske and son-in-law Alex Brueske, sons Per Alexander Nesselquist and Christian Johannes Nesselquist; his brother, Petter Nasselquist of Oslo, Norway; and by sisters-in-law, brother-in-law, aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews both in the United States and Norway. Kim was preceded in death by his father Per Erik Hansen.

See also In loving memory: Kim Nesselquist, The Norwegian American, Dec. 14, 2018.

This article originally appeared in the December 28, 2018, issue of The Norwegian American. To subscribe, visit SUBSCRIBE or call us at (206) 784-4617.