Obituary of Borgny Lokken

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Pearl Borgny (nee Sylte) Lokken, 99, of Luther Special Care Home in Saskatoon died on Sunday, February 4th, 2024 at St Paul’s Hospital after a brief illness and with her children in attendance.  During her hospitalization, Borgny also communicated with clarity with all of her grandchildren and great grandchildren either in person or via phone.

Borgny was born on April 17th, 1924 on the family farm located about four miles south of Kenaston, Saskatchewan to Peter (originally the Norwegian “Petter”) and Lydia (Nykaas Anderson) Sylte. Growing up on the family farm with her beloved older sisters, Borgny attended a one-room school (Gopherdale!)--built nearby on property transferred by her mother to the school district--through Grade 8. She subsequently boarded in Kenaston as the seasons dictated to complete her secondary education. After high school graduation in 1942, she worked for two years beside her father farming the family’s land and then moved to Saskatoon to attend the University of Saskatchewan. She graduated at the top of her class in 1947 with a Bachelor of Household Science, earning the Rutter Medal for academic distinction and a scholarship, not taken up, to pursue graduate studies in Iowa.

In 1947-48 Borgny was posted to several rural Saskatchewan communities as an instructor in nutrition for Youth Training School (University Extension). On May 22, 1948, she married John G. Lokken, a graduate just the previous evening of Luther Seminary in Saskatoon, both ceremonies taking place at Zion Lutheran Church. Over the following 37 years John’s work took Borgny to homes at Bethlehem near Hawarden and in Weldon, Saskatchewan; Edmonton, Lethbridge, and Brooks, Alberta; and Outlook, Saskatchewan, where she devoted herself to the care of their homes and their five children, born between 1949 and 1960. A highlight of their last years together was their retirement home at Shields on Blackstrap Lake, where Borgny regularly hosted children, grandchildren, and other relatives and friends while also enjoying writing letters in her beautiful script by the kitchen window overlooking the lake. Her last quarter-century brought her back to Saskatoon and homes on Clarence Avenue and, lastly, at LutherCare, a complex of residences for seniors which her parents had contributed to establishing in the 1950s.

Borgny is survived by her five children, eight grandchildren, and seven great grandchildren with an eighth expected soon. Her descendants include her daughter Naomi (David) and grandson Erik (Courtenay) and great grandchildren Oscar and Maeve, and granddaughter Ingrid; her son Philip (Laura); her son Timothy; her son James (JoAnn) and grandson Nils (Robin) and great grandson Soren, grandson Olaf (Catherine) and great grandchildren Micah, Esme, and Isla, grandson Torbjorn (Lauren) and great grandson Anders, and grandson Knut (Megan); and her son Paul (Paula) and granddaughters Annelise and Martine. She was predeceased in 1999 by her husband of 51 years and, in 2018 and 2020 respectively, by her sisters Tryphena and Phyllis.

Borgny was a devout Lutheran Christian. Her faith sustained her throughout her earthly life. Thanks be to God!  

Memorial gifts may be made to Canadian Lutheran World Relief (CLWR), Lutheran Theological Seminary in Saskatoon, LutherCare, or another charity of your choice. The family thanks the staff of Luther Special Care Home for their many years of love and care for Borgny.  

A Funeral Service will be held on Saturday, February 10th at 10:30 a.m. at Zion Lutheran Church in Saskatoon, to be followed by interment at Hillcrest Cemetery.  The family invites those unable to attend the service in person to join it via livestream.