Obituary: Torgeir Bleken Fadum

Torgeir Bleken Fadum, lieutenant colonel, U.S. Air Force (retired), born Nov. 11, 1923, left us suddenly on Nov. 28, 2016, at the age of 93. Born in Niagara Falls and longtime resident of Grand Island, he spent the last four years residing in Stockton, California.

Torg Fadum to most, "Papou" to those closest to him, is survived by seven children - Rori (Ralph), son Torg (Susie), Pete (Kathe), Mimi, Candy (Brian), Debbie (Bob) and Tim. He is also survived by 13 grandchildren: Soto, Guy, Michael (Katy), Tim (Helen), Shawn, Erik, Jonny (Anna), Trevor (Linda), Debbie, Ethan, Evan, Mary (Juan) and Tory; and two, plus one on the way, great-grandchildren: Opal, Adeline and (probably) Nehemiah.

It doesn't end there, though. Family members say maybe the most special thing about him was his phenomenal memory and the way he used this gift, in all his stories, to keep the memories of so many others alive. His will also be survived by any of you, reading this, who have a story of your own to tell about him.

He was the son of Torgeir Bleken Fadum Sr. and Mimmi (Knudsen) Fadum, both from Norway, and the brother of the late Millie (Horace) Brown, the late Ralph Eigel Fadum and late Hans Ratus Fadum.

He was predeceased by his wife of 64 years ("Not nearly long enough"), Mary Anah (Cummings), affectionately known as "Mac" and even more affectionately as "Yia-Yia."

Fadum served in the 107th Air Guard at Niagara and in Vietnam and, before that, in World War II, with those in his B-24 Bomber crew who were shot down and sat out the last eight months of the war in a German POW camp.

In lieu of flowers, as a prostate and bone cancer survivor, Fadum would have preferred you all go to cancertutor.com and read about the Budwig protocol. Fadum had passed on all conventional treatments for cancer and credits Budwig for the complete remission of his cancer that presented itself 15 years ago. In lieu of contributions, Fadum would have preferred you buy yourself a bottle of flaxseed oil and get yourself some yogurt or cottage cheese to go with it. His final mission in life was to enlighten us all on the ability of omega-3's to breathe new life into all of us.

A memorial service for Yia-Yia and Papou will be held next Aug. 2 on Grand Island.