Margareta White

Margareta (Åkerlind) White passed away peacefully among her children on 10 August 2025 at The Hebrew Center for Health & Rehabilitation, West Hartford, CT at the age of 102. While she didn’t make it to “104, no more!” or “103, that’s my limit!” she survived past her 102nd birthday and enjoyed an afternoon party with family to celebrate the occasion a few weeks prior to her death. One of five children, Margareta was born in Malmö, Sweden on 21 July 1923. She recounted her upbringing at a beautiful home with gardens, reared by her mother Wanda after her father’s death (John) in 1930. Through her entire life, Margareta remembered her mother as a loving, strong parent who raised Margareta with her three brothers (Bertil, John, and Carl) and navigated the Depression. In Margareta’s eyes, Wanda was ‘love’, and she kept that adoration of her mother alive always. A champion swimmer and diver during her teen years, Margareta turned her attention to helping efforts during World War II, including patrolling for planes and assisting Danish Jews off fishing boats as they tried to escape the Nazis. She fed concentration camp survivors after the war. Post-War, Margareta was invited to New York by her uncle and aunt (Carl Uno and Esther Ackerlind). Margareta loved New York and the United States and made it her home for the next 70+ years. Margareta shared two children, Anita and Robert, with her first husband, Holger Ackerlind. In 1967, she married Bernard (Bernie) White and welcomed him and his son Byrne into the family. Margareta loved the arts, animals (especially dogs), nature, and anything delicious. She cultivated gardens full of peonies, rocks, and hostas. She enjoyed painting, sculpture, and creating comfortable, playful spaces. She was a remarkable cook of Swedish cuisine – crepes and meatballs being two of her specialties (cream in various forms being a unifying element). Margareta loved parties, whether hosting or attending, and spending treasured time with long-time friends Edith Wald and Janet Weithas. As she recently noted to one of her grandchildren, she liked vodka (martinis and screwdrivers) until her seventies! She dabbled in jewelry design with her best friend, Sonja Weslien, in the 1960s, selling Beanstone Design necklaces around New York. Margareta is survived by her three children: Byrne (Janet) White, Anita Ackerlind, and Robert Ackerlind; by her three grandchildren: Alison McVeigh, Natalie (Randall) Bowers, and Bryan White; and by her four great-grandchildren: Margaret Bowers, Cole McVeigh, Riley McVeigh, and Astrid Bowers. She is pre-deceased by her husband, Bernard. She will be remembered fondly for her generous spirit, warm sense of humor, and endless indulgences of each generation of children in her family. Contributions in Margareta’s memory may be made to Protectors of Animals in CT or the Humane Society.

Margareta White

August 10, 2025