Preceded by Halldóra Eldjárn | Succeeded by Dorrit Moussaieff | |
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Died 12 October 1998, Seattle, Washington, United States Spouse Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson (m. 1974–1998) Children Svanhildur Ólafsdóttir, Guðrún Ólafsdóttir People also search for Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, Svanhildur Ólafsdóttir, Dorrit Moussaieff, Guðrún Ólafsdóttir | ||
Guðrún Katrín Þorbergsdóttir (pronounced [ˈkvʏðrun ˈkʰatrin ˈθɔrpɛrksˌtouhtɪr]; 14 August 1934 – 12 October 1998) was the First Lady of Iceland from 1996 to 1998. She was the first wife of Icelandic president Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson.
Guðrún Katrín studied archaeology and sociology. She was the General Manager of the Postal Workers Union for nearly 20 years, and managed a clothing store in downtown Reykjavík. She was also active in politics and held a city council post in the town of Seltjarnarnes for 16 years. She married Ólafur in 1974 and the following year gave birth to twin daughters, Guðrún Tinna and Svanhildur Dalla.
Guðrún Katrín was very popular in Iceland, and her charm and charisma are considered by many as one of the main reasons her husband was elected president of Iceland in June 1996. Guðrún Katrín was diagnosed with leukemia in September 1997. She spent the last few months of her life under the care of specialists in Seattle, Washington, with her family by her side, until her death in October 1998. Her death after a long and difficult struggle, at the age of 64, was a shock to her family and the Icelandic nation.
After her death the problem of flying her remains home was solved by an offer from Cargolux, the Luxembourg-based air freight company. Her family was flown with the casket to Iceland, arriving five days after her death.
