Informasjon

John Oswin O´Sullivan

  • 02.10.1933 - 21.12.2017

About John Oswin

This is in English and available to his beloved family and friends around the world including Norway.   It is not easy to describe the life of a man like John Oswin, or Sean as he also was called, in a few words. He was a vibrant and joyful man with dreams and visions unlike most people, and fully lived his dreams and followed his visions being a good and longtime lifepartner to Brenda, great dad to his children Karin, Michael and David. He also loved being a granddad and a great granddad. At the same time he was an out-going man curious of meeting new people, experience new places and challenges.     He was born in 1933 as the oldest of four siblings by parents Louis and Maureen in Birkenhead, across the Mersey river from Liverpool. He and his close younger brother Louis spent several years in Limerick in Ireland during the war. With their grandparents in the city and on the farm outside the city. When returning to Birkenhead in Wallasey, and the house in Marlowe road, his sister Bunty was born. Later also Desmond, the youngest brother, was born there. At nine years of age he got polio. Due to walking his left leg was cured, but the challenges with his right arm marked him for life. “No way polio was going to be in the way of how he wanted to live his life”, must have been his mantra.     Early in life he was drawn to spend time in nature. Together with his brother Louis and close friends he spent almost every weekend was in Wales, climbing in the Snowdonia mountain area, during his youth. This interest also was the reason he travelled to Bergen in Norway. Here he was close to several mountains, and in 1957 he moved to Oslo. It turned out to be for good. He started studying architecture and was an active climber at Kolsås outside Oslo and all over Norway. Kolsås was where he met Brenda on a rainy day in May 1958. From May the 17th that year, the Norwegian national day, they stayed together for life.     Sean and Brenda both loved travelling and together they soon started traveling around Europe, and have travelled the world together ever since. When their firstborn child Karin was born in 1959, she was placed in the rucksack and joined them, mostly in the Norwegian mountains, and also Italy and the Dolomites in the summer. Travelling with a tent and by train and bus. Michael was born in 1961 and David in 1963. The travelling continued by car in the 1960’s. The whole family moved to Slattum in Nittedal in 1964, and that has been the family home since.     Sean took his diploma in the early 1960’s and became a sivil architect MNAL. He first worked at Rinnan og Tveten Arkitektkontor, with an architect policy building on functionalism and social housing construction. He later worked with Norske Boligbyggelags Landsforbund (NBBL), Ullensaker kommune and F.S. Platous arkitekter. From 1972 he worked lecturing and as a researcher in urban planning at the Oslo School of Architecture (AHO) until he retired as a professor. After retirement he often said he missed being with the students. This must have been his calling.     In 1987 he had a year leave to study architecture and planning in the Mediterranean area. His approach and the base of his study was fundament and limitation agents of different ancient Greek city-states (polis) several thousand years ago. In combination with student excursion from AHO in the area. This was also combined with sailing from port to port of the old cities.     John and Brenda bought their first sailing boat in 1971, and they had not much knowledge about sailing! The aim was that sailing would strengthen the family as a community, after years of traveling by car around Europe every summer, and a way of exploring new territory in the summer. We all had many great summers especially in the Oslofjord, on the Swedish west coast and in Denmark. Soon Sean and Brenda’s experience grew and they joined regattas, mostly together with Michael. To go further into this the wooden boats were replaced by Soling, First, Benetau and from 1992 Wasa Atlantic. This interest took them to the Orkneys, Baltic Sea, around the coasts of Europe and in the end to the Mediterranean Sea. The Mediterranean became the sailing waters for more than 12 years. It all really started in the mid 1980’s when Sean, Brenda and Karin explored the Greek waters and islands by sailing from Rhodos to Pireus in the spring for several years in rental boats. After their retirement Sean and Brenda spent three months every spring and autumn in the Mediterranean Sea – sailing from Spain to Italy, in Croatia, Greece and Turky. The town Finike in the Lycia area in the south of Turky was their last port. During these years they were part of a huge community of sailors and most of their friends were sailors from all over the world. This way of living was the ultimate way for Sean and Brenda. They enjoyed every day and the magic of discovering new harbors and people after a day or night at sea.     Many say Sean was a colourful character with a good sense of humor. It might not always have been intended. One of the situations that turned out to be a big laugh for David and Michael was when they took him to play golf in the Canary Island in 1975. When asked at the golf course; What is your handicap? – he just naturally showed them his right arm.     In September 2015 Sean travelled to Wales with his daughter Karin and went to Snowdonia for the last time, and on this trip also met up with the Irish, Welsh and English part of the family in a christening.     Sean had fallen of the boat a few times and also broke his leg while falling into the sea in 2010, but recovered. He was doing great until his health dramatically was reduced in the spring of 2016. When he and Brenda came back to Norway in June that year he was sent to hospital by his doctor. He needed an intestinal surgery, but before he could have this performed he needed a heart surgery. This turned out to be a long and winding road for him without food for almost a year. He became a victim of indecision and refusal in the health care system. During this time his only nutrition was through a tube. In January of 2017 the amazing heart-team at Feiringklinikken took him in to have the heart surgery he needed first and in March he at last had his intestinal surgery. At last he could eat all the food and meals he wanted again. This was life quality to him and he had several months of relatively good health until the middle of December 2017. Then suddenly he became weak and within a week he past away with the family around him. His time on earth had come to an end, he had his last in-breath on the 21st of December at 17:55. Exactly on winter solstice and with a new moon rising his soul left his body.     A memorial ceremony is held in silence with family present. In June 2018 his ashes will be spread in the Oslofjord between Filtvet and Færder, as he wished. He then will be part of every drop of water and in all fjords and oceans.     On this memorial website for Sean everyone who wishes are welcome to honor him and pay respects.  

About John Oswin

This is in English and available to his beloved family and friends around the world including Norway.   It is not easy to describe the life of a man like John Oswin, or Sean as he also was called, in a few words. He was a vibrant and joyful man with dreams and visions unlike most people, and fully lived his dreams and followed his visions being a good and longtime lifepartner to Brenda, great dad to his children Karin, Michael and David. He also loved being a granddad and a great granddad. At the same time he was an out-going man curious of meeting new people, experience new places and challenges.     He was born in 1933 as the oldest of four siblings by parents Louis and Maureen in Birkenhead, across the Mersey river from Liverpool. He and his close younger brother Louis spent several years in Limerick in Ireland during the war. With their grandparents in the city and on the farm outside the city. When returning to Birkenhead in Wallasey, and the house in Marlowe road, his sister Bunty was born. Later also Desmond, the youngest brother, was born there. At nine years of age he got polio. Due to walking his left leg was cured, but the challenges with his right arm marked him for life. “No way polio was going to be in the way of how he wanted to live his life”, must have been his mantra.     Early in life he was drawn to spend time in nature. Together with his brother Louis and close friends he spent almost every weekend was in Wales, climbing in the Snowdonia mountain area, during his youth. This interest also was the reason he travelled to Bergen in Norway. Here he was close to several mountains, and in 1957 he moved to Oslo. It turned out to be for good. He started studying architecture and was an active climber at Kolsås outside Oslo and all over Norway. Kolsås was where he met Brenda on a rainy day in May 1958. From May the 17th that year, the Norwegian national day, they stayed together for life.     Sean and Brenda both loved travelling and together they soon started traveling around Europe, and have travelled the world together ever since. When their firstborn child Karin was born in 1959, she was placed in the rucksack and joined them, mostly in the Norwegian mountains, and also Italy and the Dolomites in the summer. Travelling with a tent and by train and bus. Michael was born in 1961 and David in 1963. The travelling continued by car in the 1960’s. The whole family moved to Slattum in Nittedal in 1964, and that has been the family home since.     Sean took his diploma in the early 1960’s and became a sivil architect MNAL. He first worked at Rinnan og Tveten Arkitektkontor, with an architect policy building on functionalism and social housing construction. He later worked with Norske Boligbyggelags Landsforbund (NBBL), Ullensaker kommune and F.S. Platous arkitekter. From 1972 he worked lecturing and as a researcher in urban planning at the Oslo School of Architecture (AHO) until he retired as a professor. After retirement he often said he missed being with the students. This must have been his calling.     In 1987 he had a year leave to study architecture and planning in the Mediterranean area. His approach and the base of his study was fundament and limitation agents of different ancient Greek city-states (polis) several thousand years ago. In combination with student excursion from AHO in the area. This was also combined with sailing from port to port of the old cities.     John and Brenda bought their first sailing boat in 1971, and they had not much knowledge about sailing! The aim was that sailing would strengthen the family as a community, after years of traveling by car around Europe every summer, and a way of exploring new territory in the summer. We all had many great summers especially in the Oslofjord, on the Swedish west coast and in Denmark. Soon Sean and Brenda’s experience grew and they joined regattas, mostly together with Michael. To go further into this the wooden boats were replaced by Soling, First, Benetau and from 1992 Wasa Atlantic. This interest took them to the Orkneys, Baltic Sea, around the coasts of Europe and in the end to the Mediterranean Sea. The Mediterranean became the sailing waters for more than 12 years. It all really started in the mid 1980’s when Sean, Brenda and Karin explored the Greek waters and islands by sailing from Rhodos to Pireus in the spring for several years in rental boats. After their retirement Sean and Brenda spent three months every spring and autumn in the Mediterranean Sea – sailing from Spain to Italy, in Croatia, Greece and Turky. The town Finike in the Lycia area in the south of Turky was their last port. During these years they were part of a huge community of sailors and most of their friends were sailors from all over the world. This way of living was the ultimate way for Sean and Brenda. They enjoyed every day and the magic of discovering new harbors and people after a day or night at sea.     Many say Sean was a colourful character with a good sense of humor. It might not always have been intended. One of the situations that turned out to be a big laugh for David and Michael was when they took him to play golf in the Canary Island in 1975. When asked at the golf course; What is your handicap? – he just naturally showed them his right arm.     In September 2015 Sean travelled to Wales with his daughter Karin and went to Snowdonia for the last time, and on this trip also met up with the Irish, Welsh and English part of the family in a christening.     Sean had fallen of the boat a few times and also broke his leg while falling into the sea in 2010, but recovered. He was doing great until his health dramatically was reduced in the spring of 2016. When he and Brenda came back to Norway in June that year he was sent to hospital by his doctor. He needed an intestinal surgery, but before he could have this performed he needed a heart surgery. This turned out to be a long and winding road for him without food for almost a year. He became a victim of indecision and refusal in the health care system. During this time his only nutrition was through a tube. In January of 2017 the amazing heart-team at Feiringklinikken took him in to have the heart surgery he needed first and in March he at last had his intestinal surgery. At last he could eat all the food and meals he wanted again. This was life quality to him and he had several months of relatively good health until the middle of December 2017. Then suddenly he became weak and within a week he past away with the family around him. His time on earth had come to an end, he had his last in-breath on the 21st of December at 17:55. Exactly on winter solstice and with a new moon rising his soul left his body.     A memorial ceremony is held in silence with family present. In June 2018 his ashes will be spread in the Oslofjord between Filtvet and Færder, as he wished. He then will be part of every drop of water and in all fjords and oceans.     On this memorial website for Sean everyone who wishes are welcome to honor him and pay respects.  
Bestill blomster Blomster