Lennart E. Ivarson Obituary

Lennart Ivarson peacefully passed away in Milwaukee January 3rd. He was 92 years old. He is mourned by his children Erik (Leslie,) Linda (Cary Van Aacken,) and Glenn (Kim Lemke,) and his grandchildren: Drew (Suan,) Nick (Gabby,) Lauren MacDonald (Peter,) Ryan Wilhelm, Grant and Cole, as well as by his three brothers Bertil, Ingemar and Anders with their families in Sweden. Lennie was preceded in death by his wife, Gabriella 'Ella' (nee Gaal).

Lennie was born in Kinna, Sweden on June 13, 1929. The second oldest of four boys, his father was the managing director of a linen factory. He served in the Swedish army and then headed west in 1951 with a one-way ticket to Canada. Lennie spent two years there, then immigrated to the United States on Veteran's Day in 1953. He was drafted during the Korean Conflict and served in Berlin. Before being discharged, he was sworn in as a US citizen.

Back in the US, he found work with a packaging company. He was sent to Milwaukee to fix a machine. He immediately fell in love with the area, saw the license plates – America's Dairyland – and was inspired. This is also where he met and married Ella in 1961.

Later that year, Lennie and Ella moved to Malmo, Sweden. In 1962, they moved again to London, England and in January of 1963, Erik, the first of his three children was born. On a work trip to Interpac, an exhibition in Düsseldorf, he approached the owner of Alpma company and asked if he could represent their company in the US selling cheese equipment. As a result of that, in 1963 Lennie, Ella and Erik headed back to the States and Len E. Ivarson Inc. was established in Milwaukee, Wisconsin for selling and servicing processing and packaging equipment for soft-ripened cheese. In 1964, Linda was born, and another German company, Benhil - looking for representation began what turned into an almost three-decade relationship with butter wrapping equipment and this is where Mr. Butter really took off! Lennie's successor, Glenn, was born in 1966.

Anyone wanting to make butter, margarine or soft ripened cheeses was told to call "Mr. Butter" who had a well-respected name in the dairy industry. Customers from all over the USA, Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean as well as in Europe are called friends. Currently Glenn along with his youngest son, Nick, Linda's son-in-law, Peter, and many devoted employees are currently securing the success and future of Ivarson, Inc.

Lennie was a very generous man. He was the single largest donor to the Center for Dairy Research, Babcock Hall at the University of Wisconsin in Madison where they will honor him by naming the butter making room after him. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the Aurora Foundation - specifically the minimally invasive DaVinci Surgical System robotics fund. Lennie was a recipient of the robotic surgery and was forever grateful to Dr. Zacharias and his team for extending his life due to this cutting-edge technology. Lennie will be deeply missed.

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