Habba Olafsdottir, 43

Wednesday, October 27, 2004

Hrafnhildur "Habba" "lafsd--ttir, 43, of Mountain Home,died Oct. 23, after a battle with cancer.

Funeral Services will be held at 11 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 29, at Grace Lutheran Church, with committal service to follow at Mountain Home Cemetery.a Arrangements are under the direction of Rost Funeral Home of Mountain Home.

"Hrafnhildur means 'war woman' and she owned up to that name as she surpassed all hopes and predictions and lived for 3 years" after being diagnosed, her family noted.

Habba was born in Keflav'k, Iceland, on Sept. 11, 1961, to Magna Gumundsdottir and Olafur Árnason, the youngest of their three children.

Habba graduated from Keflav'k High School in 1978 and later moved to the capitol, Reykjav'k, where she worked at IBM.

"In 1990 Habba was blessed with a daughter Karitas," her family said, noting "that little girl was her life, her everything. In November of 1993 those two brave girls moved across the ocean to start a new life in Heyburn, Idaho, where her mother lived, and later bought a house in Burley.

"She was very proud of her accomplishment and the girls loved to work on the house and in the garden. Mostly they loved to spend time together, they were not only mother and daughter, they were best friends, they loved music and baking and their favorite was going to the movies."

Habba worked at Inspirations, first in Burley and later in Twin Falls until 2001.

In January of 2002 she received the news that she had a brain tumor and it was estimated that she only had one year to live. "Habba had a lot to live for," her family said, "and she fought very hard to see her daughter grow up."

In December 2002, Habba moved with Karitas to Mountain Home, to live closer to her sister and family. Then in September 2004 she moved to Aaren Brooke Place, an assisted living home in Mountain Home. Habba lived there for only 8 weeks "but won the hearts of the residents and caregivers in that short time," her family said.

Habba is survived by: her daughter, Karitas; sister Magdalena Krajniak (Brian) of Mountain Home; brother Gumundur Olafsson (Helga), from Iceland; father Olafur Arnason; and two brothers and one sister, all of Denmark.

Habba was preceded in death by her mother, aunt and 3 grandparents.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Cancer Center of Idaho, 9357 W.Emerald St., Boise, Idaho 83704, or Grace Lutheran Church, 2422 American Legion Blvd., Mountain Home, ID 83647.