Lennart S. Ostergren

Lennart “Len” Steven Ostergren, died on May 17th, 2022, at the age of 67, in Brainerd, MN. Len was born on February 21st, 1955 in Oak Park, Illinois, and shortly moved to the Brainerd Lakes Area where he would spend the rest of his life. Len was a dreamer and a seeker, with a deep love for music, literature and good food. In fact, he spent the majority of his career as a chef starting in the kitchen of his family’s eatery, Charlie’s Restaurant. He went on to work as a chef  in Anchorage, Alaska, and back home again as a chef at Cragun’s Resort on Gull Lake. When he was in his late 40’s, Len had the tenacity and courage to go back to college, earn his Bachelor’s Degree in Registered Nursing, and finish out his career as an RN until 2021. He was a hard-worker, exceptionally smart and well loved by his patients. One of Len’s favorite authors, Ernest Hemingway, said, “Live the full life of the mind, exhilarated by new ideas, intoxicated by the romance of the unusual.” Len led his life in this manner travelling from the Bering Sea shores of Alaska to Sanibel Island off the Gulf coast of Florida, from the Valley of the Gods in Utah to the Boundary Waters of northern Minnesota and Canada. He loved learning about different religions, unique music, poetry and novels that told stories from afar. Perhaps most of all, Len loved fishing in his canoe. So we say, Len has gone finally fishin’, with his Filson Packer hat on, catching the last of the aurora borealis in the early morning hours as the fish start biting on Lake Tuscarora. Ugly stick in hand, under  the sky hunkered, reeling in Old Grandad, the last remaining lunker.   Len is preceded in death by his beloved parents, Deloris and Abas Korchari, and grandson, Noah. Len is survived by his seven children, Elizabeth (Thomas), Jason, Jessica (Mark), Thomas (Katrina), Clarissa, Maxwell and Samuel, ten grandchildren, Corbin, Connor, Bradley, Declan, Aidan, Wyatt, Silas, Mirabelle, Sawyer and Finn, his siblings Merjem (Brian), Drita (Mark), Luan (Margaret) and Floresha (Sean), and many cherished extended family members.

A celebration of Len’s life will be held at 7pm, Monday, June 6th 2022, at Nelson-Doran Funeral Home in Brainerd. Family and friends are invited to gather one hour prior to services.

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