Eleanor Elizabeth Karlsson

Eleanor Elizabeth (Bausback) Karlsson went home to her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on Saturday, July 18, 2020.  She was born to German immigrant parents in 1926, in Chicago, and she grew up in St. Louis.

Eleanor worked for the US Government after WWII, in Heidelberg, Germany, where she spoke fluent German and traveled around the continent, making friends and Kodak moments.  Mom met her husband, Karl Gylfe Karlsson, a Swede, when he was a Chief Engineer on a ship travelling, the long way, from Europe to the US. They would sometimes playfully argue if they had met while docked in Ceylon….or was it Singapore?

She was an avid photographer who was once bitten by a bear at Yellowstone National Park. She wanted that “perfect” shot so when the bear clamped its jaws around her arm, she calmly told us kids to “feed him a cookie” (we were eating Oreos). We did, and it let go, not even breaking the skin.  She had a smile for everyone she met and always sought to do the right thing in every situation.  She loved her birds, but Cha-Cha was her favorite. She also had a great sense of humor and will be deeply missed.  Eleanor loved the Lord and was a member of Village Baptist Church in Destin where she had many lady friends.

Eleanor is survived by her two daughters, Karen (Richard) Whitford of Destin, FL. and Dana Marsh of San Jose, CA; three grandchildren, Lena, Christopher and Joshua, and a sweet great-grand daughter, Lily Grace; her brother, Richard (Jan) Bausback of San Diego, CA.; and numerous nieces and nephews.

A visitation will take place on Sunday, August 9, 2020 at 1:00 P.M. at Emerald Coast Funeral Home, 161 Racetrack Road NW, Ft. Walton Beach, FL.  Followed by a Celebration of Life service at 2:00 P.M.  

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