Obituary of Karl R. Liljegren

Karl Robert Liljegren leaves a great circle of friends. Karl passed away suddenly at his home on Thursday morning, August 24, 2006 from a heart attack. Karl was born in Boston. He has been a lifelong resident of Burlington. He was a graduate of Burlington High School in 1977 and then Salem State. Karl started working at Florsheim Shoes in the Burlington Mall as a teenager. He worked for Florsheim for almost 25 years as a store manager. He managed numerous stores in the region including, Burlington, Natick, Manchester, NH, and Saugus. For the past 3 years he has managed a T Mobile store in Avon. Karl founded and ran adult soccer teams for over 20 years. First was his “Burlington II” soccer team and then he started an Over 30 team called “Burlington II Old”. He loved the sport of soccer for several reasons. First is the love of the game. He played soccer in High School and continued to play and coach in his 20’s and 30’s. He had a competitive spirit and enjoyed introducing and sharing his passion for the game with his friends. He also had an alternative motive for the sport, and that was to keep his circle of friends together over the years. Sunday mornings during the spring and fall and indoor soccer during the winter months were times spent together as a group. His circle of friends grew over the years as he continually brought more players to his team. He had many cherished memories on and off the soccer field. Karl was a special person to his friends. He shared a legacy of memories with his friends including; Springsteen Concerts, Jim Plunkett nights, Patriots games, card games, or hanging around the campfire and just talking with friends. He was an avid reader and enjoyed a healthy debate. He always wanted to write a book based on his experiences. He was generous to a fault. Whether it is was flowers for his mother, coffee and pastries for the soccer wives, playing Santa Claus for the Knights of Columbus Christmas party, running a scholarship fund in memory of his friend Jay Beaulieu, Karl was always thinking about others first. He was extremely good to his nieces and nephews as well as his friend’s children. He will be sadly missed by all his family and friends, but the memories and stories will continue to live on. Karl is the beloved son of Marilyn (Rideout) Liljegren Richards of Burlington and the late Stuart W. Liljegren. He is the brother of Stuart W. Liljegren, Jr. of Tewksbury and Donna Catino of Billerica. He is the uncle of Laura Noonan, Amy Martell, Douglas Fleming, Stuart W. Liljegren, III, and Erik Liljegren and great uncle of Hannah Noonan, Angela Martell and Jacob Noonan. He is also survived by many loving friends. Funeral from the Edward V. Sullivan Funeral Home, 43 Winn St., BURLINGTON (Exit 34 off Rt., 128 Woburn side) on Tuesday, August 29 at 9 a.m. Followed by Funeral Services at the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, 60 Forest Park Rd., Woburn at 10 a.m. Visiting hours Monday 4-8 p.m. Interment in Pine Haven Cemetery, Burlington. Memorial donations in Karl’s memory may be made to the Karl R. Liljegren Memorial Scholarship Fund, c/o Northern Bank and Trust, 13 Center Street, Burlington, MA 01803. For directions & obituary see www.sullivanfuneralhome.net & www.redeemerwoburn.org