Kim Nilsson

Kim G. Nilsson, died peacefully at the University of Wisconsin Hospital on May 9, after a long battle with metastatic prostate cancer. He was born in Helsinki, Finland in 1939, to Nils Nilsson and Rita. He came to Indiana University, Bloomington, as an undergraduate to study Russian in 1958. During that time, he worked as an interpreter for the State Department for Finnish dignitaries. 

He was married to Usha Saksena from India in 1962 and moved to Madison, Wisconsin to work on his PhD in Linguistics. He was subsequently hired as Professor in the Department of Scandinavian Studies, where he taught Finnish and Scandinavian Linguistics. His doctoral dissertation and research was on Swedish syntax. During his time at the University of Wisconsin, he chaired several faculty committees and on two occasions he was the Chair of Scandinavian Studies. He took early retirement to pursue his long time passion of sailing in the Baltic Sea, fishing, and skiing. He was also an avid reader and classical music lover. 

He is survived by his older sister, Jill Aschan, and a younger brother, Jesper; his nieces, Johanna, Lena Aschan, and Casperina Nilsson; his nephew, Jüns; and his former wife Usha. 

His private cremation will take place at Cress Funeral Home, followed by a memorial service to be announced later.