Arnold C. Abrahamson, 91, retired NY firefighter and South Bronx teacher

Friday, 30 October 2009 16:22

Arnold C. Abrahamson of Ridgefield, a retired New York City firefighter and South Bronx teacher, died Friday, Oct.  30,  at Danbury Hospital. He was 91 years old and the husband of Ruth Abrahamson.

Mr. Abrahamson was born April 28, 1918, in Baltimore, Md., to Carl and Hilma Abrahamson, who came to the U.S. from Småland and Värmland, Sweden.

Growing up in the South Bronx, he earned the rank of Eagle Scout from the Boy Scouts of America in 1936  and enjoyed camping and visits to Lake George, N.Y., often hitchhiking from the Bronx with his gear.

He graduated from James Monroe High School in the South Bronx, obtained a bachelor’s degree in finance from NYU in 1948, and a master’s in Health Education from Herbert Lehman College (CUNY) in 1972.

During World War II, he  served  in the Army Air Corps, both stateside and in Okinawa, Japan. Assigned to the 22^nd Air Depot, he taught judo, hand-to-hand combat, functional swimming, ship abandonment, and survival aquatics connected with the Pacific Theatre. He was honorably discharged with many decorations, including the recent State of Connecticut World War II Veteran Public Service Award Medal.

For more than half his lifetime, he worked for the City of New York.  He retired as a firefighter in January 1967 after 22 years of service and then spent 18 years teaching at PS-40 in the South Bronx.

He was a member of St. Stephen’s Church in Ridgefield.

Mr. Abrahamson was active in with The National Eagle Scout Association, The John Ericsson Society, The American Legion, UFA Local 94, St. George Association, The American Scandinavian Federation, The Manhem Club, and The Ridgefield Men’s Club.

“He was a husband and father who prided himself on humility, generosity and always doing the right thing by others,” his family said.

Mr. Abrahamson is survived by his wife of 40 years, Ruth, and two sons; Erik of Ridgefield and Carl and wife, Alison, of North Salem, N.Y. In Sweden, his Långaryd family relatives are listed in the Guinness Book of Records as holding the world’s largest “Charted” family, documented back to 1662. He is also survived by family in the Province of Saltvik on The Åland Islands.

Friends may call at the Kane Funeral Home, 25 Catoonah Street, on Tuesday, Nov. 3, from 5 to 8.

A memorial service to celebrate his life will take place Wednesday, Nov. 4, at 11 a.m., at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, 351 Main Street, Ridgefield.

Interment at the family plot will occur on Wednesday, Nov. 4, at 1:30 p.m. at St. Peter’s Church, 2500 Westchester Ave., South Bronx.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to FDNY Foundation,  9 MetroTech Center, RM 5E-10, Brooklyn, NY. 11201 www.FDNYfoundation.com or St. Stephen’s Church, 351 Main Street, Ridgefield, CT. 06877 www.ststephens-ridgefield.org