Signe Olson Eskildsen, long-time resident of Falls Church, passed away in the early hours of Oct. 27. She was born in Fargo, North Dakota, in 1914. She graduated from Fargo High School and received a Bachelor of Education degree from Moorhead State Teacher’s College in Moorhead, Minnesota. During her senior year she was editor-in-chief of the college yearbook, which won All-American honors that year under her leadership.
In the summer of 1943 Signe married Clarence Raymond “Esky” Eskildsen, and moved with him to Washington, D.C. after the war. He began to work for the United States Department of Agriculture. The couple had three children, Karen, Erik and Paul, of of whom were students in the Falls Church school system.
The family lived overseas often, beginning with an assignment to Seoul, Korea. That posting ended with the forced evacuation of Signe and her two eldest children when the North Koreans invaded Seoul during the Korean War. Other assignments included The Philippines, India and Germany. Esky was the Agricultural Attache at the United States embassy for the latter two posts. He was named Deputy Assistant Secretary of Agriculture for International Affairs in 1966, and died in the fall of 1967.
Signe taught elementary school n North Dakota, in The Philippines and in Falls Church. In her later years, she worked in the tax office at Falls Church City Hall and was an active member of the Village Preservation and Improvement Society. Throughout her life she was blessed by many friends, a strong faith and close family life. She is deeply missed by those who were close to her. Her survivors include her three children and five grandsons.
A memorial service will be held for Signe at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 17, at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, 3022 Woodlawn Ave., Falls Church, VA 22042.
