Louise C. Solheim
Nellie Louise Crozier Solheim, 99, passed away peacefully in her home in Phoenix, Ariz., with her granddaughter by her side on July 8, 2017. Born June 6, 1918, in Spokane, Wash., Louise was the only child of John Louis Crozier, a teacher and inventor, and his wife, Nellie, who died of scarlet fever a month after giving birth to Louise. Louise was preceded in death by her husband, Karsten Solheim (February, 2000), their daughter, Sandra Louise Solheim Aiken (December, 2013), sister-in-law Elaine Solheim, and brother-in-law Ray Solheim. She is survived by her three sons: Karsten Louis Solheim, Allan D. Solheim, and John A. Solheim. Louise was blessed with 14 grandchildren: Candy Birch, Melody Dipple, Allan Solheim Jr., Dawn Grove, Stacey Pauwels, Karsten Donald Solheim, John Karsten Solheim, Joy Solheim, Alexis Bartels, Andy Solheim, David Solheim, Olivia Anderson, Marley Sprenger and Jasmine Sprenger; 47 great-grandchildren; 14 great-great-grandchildren, and her sister-in-law, Marjorie Korsak. For most of the first 10 years of her life she was raised by her aunt and uncle, Louise and John Kinsler, on a farm in Austwell, Texas, near Corpus Christi. She returned to live with her ...[more]View Full Online Obituary and Tributes
her in Renton, Wash., until she married. Louise met Karsten in 1936 in church and they were married June 20, 1936, at the home of Rev. W. H. Officer in Seattle, Wash. Devout Christians, they remained active in church throughout their lives. At the time of her passing, Louise was a member of Bethany Bible Church in Phoenix. An honor student, Louise graduated fifth in her class from Renton High School at age 16. She then attended Wilson Modern Business College. After marriage, she worked various jobs over the years as she and Karsten moved around the country while he continued his engineering career. In the early 1950s, she worked for Convair (now General Dynamics) in its wind tunnels, calculating and plotting test results for the engineers. Her title was "Computer." Shortly after Louise and Karsten moved to Syracuse, N.Y., in 1954, she took a position with the Eastern Milk Producers Dairy Cooperative, where her job included being a Statistical Technician and editing the company newsletter. It turned out to be her favorite job. Her last position before PING became a full-time pursuit for her family was assisting John Conlan, a two-term State Senator from Arizona who later became a U.S. Congressman. Following her Christian faith, she happily made supporting her husband and raising their family a priority. When Karsten started making golf clubs she preferred working behind the scenes, keeping the books, processing orders, and giving guidance to the business, allowing Karsten to focus on club designs. She was blessed with an incredible memory, which Karsten relied on regularly. Whether it was remembering someone's name or the specifics of an event, she always had the answer. Together, they made an amazing team that formed the foundation for PING today. Louise was a soft-spoken, gracious lady who worked side-by-side with Karsten to build PING into one of the most successful golf equipment companies in the history of the game while caring for her maturing family. Louise had a keen business sense that she combined with a generous heart. Guided by the Bible, she wanted every action to be pleasing to God. Believing God had been exceptionally good to PING, she founded the Solheim Foundation to make sure the company gave back. Louise was a very special woman who touched and improved many lives. She had a special quality that gave her the ability to bring smiles to people's faces, and she handled every situation with grace. She always took time and care to be available to her children and grandchildren as they matured into adulthood, and encouraged them to think things through and make their own decisions. In this same way, she thought through her own home-going arrangements, emphasizing that she wanted her memorial service treated as a celebration of life. Despite her desire to maintain a low profile, her countless contributions are widely recognized and deeply ingrained in PING's history. Louise is credited with naming the most famous putter in golf -- the PING Anser -- which has been used to win more than 500 professional tournaments around the world. Her role in creating the Solheim Cup in 1990 brought women's professional team golf to a worldwide stage for players to showcase their shot-making skills while competing for the honor of their countries. Her numerous honors include an Honorary Doctorate degree from Arizona State University (1992), LPGA Commissioner's Award (1994), Swedish Golf Federation Distinguished Service Award (2003), Arizona Golf Hall of Fame (2004), Arizona State University Regents Award for Outstanding Service to Higher Education (2004), Honorary LPGA member (2005), Honorary Ladies European Tour member (2011) and KMC Chairman Emeritus. Louise will be buried next to her husband at Hansen Desert Hills Cemetery in a private service. Visitation is Friday, Aug. 4, from 4 to 6 p.m. at Hansen Desert Hills Chapel, 6500 E. Bell Rd., Scottsdale, AZ 85254. A CELEBRATION OF LIFE service will be Saturday, Aug. 5, at 11 a.m. at Bethany Bible Church, 6060 N. 7th Ave., Phoenix, AZ 85013. The Solheim family asks in lieu of flowers that donations be made to one of the following organizations: the Solheim Foundation (private foundation started by Louise); Bethany Bible Church (Louise and Karsten were members); Changing Lives Center at Phoenix Rescue Mission (Louise supported this faith-based safe haven for women and their children); LPGA*USGA Girls Golf (to expand Louise's efforts in elevating golf for women and girls). Contact information for these organizations: Solheim Foundation - P.O. Box 84558, Phoenix, AZ 85071-4558; (602) 687-5248 Bethany Bible Church - 6060 N. 7th Ave., Phoenix, AZ 85013 bbcphx.org Changing Lives Center at Phoenix Rescue Mission -- phoenixrescuemission.org LPGA*USGA Girls Golf - girlsgolf.org
