Stanfordville – Sven Gustav Haaland, 35, died May 21st in Covelo, CA. He was born April 17th, 1980 to Deborah and Sigurd Haaland and grew up in Pine Plains, NY with his 8 brothers Hans (NY), Bjorn (NJ), Day (LA), Roald (CT), Lars (MN), Nils (NE) , Christen (CO), Henrik (CO) and his sister Kirsten Haaland(CT). He is also survived by his nephew Kai Haaland Warwick, niece Freyja Haaland and numerous aunts, uncles and cousins. Sven was predeceased by his father Sigurd Haaland, his grandparents Lorraine and Frank Enright., Ragnvald and Berta Haaland. Sven was a combination of Norwegian and Swedish descent. When young, Sven enjoyed practicing, teaching and competing as a 3rd degree black belt in taekwondo, playing the tuba, bass guitar and watching his New York Football Giants. He was an adventurous young man who enjoyed being outdoors and always had an interest in nature.
Sven attended the Cold Spring Elementary School and graduated from Stissing Mountain High School in 2000.He then proceeded to attend Clinton Community College followed by SUNY Plattsburgh State University of New York where he was nominated as the president of his fraternity, Theta kappa Beta. He also studied abroad in Sydney, Australia. While overseas he continued to explore by hitchhiking through New Zealand, creating friendships and amazing stories along the way. Shortly after college, Sven blazed his own trail from upstate NY to upstate California, where he became prolific in botany and agriculture. He enjoyed visiting the redwood trees in Mendocino, wineries in Napa, and the ocean in San Diego. He worked as a farm-hand in the valley of Northern California where his employers treasured his east-coast work ethic paired with his knowledgeable expertise on agriculture and nature. By getting his hands in the California soil, Sven was able to purchase property and cultivate his own land. He used his first significant paycheck to help repair the roof on his mother’s house back in Stanfordville, NY.
Generosity had always been in his genes. Among others, Sven frequently donated money to the charities of The St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital . During his free time, Sven would write music and lyrics with the intentions of, one day, becoming a rock-star. That day came while residing in Ocean Beach, San Diego. He, along with a few close friends, started a group titled The Westwind Boyz. The band was popular among parties, bars and venues throughout the Ocean Beach area. Sven was the lead singer and songwriter. A bonafide rock-star. Sven met the love of his life while in California, Elizabeth (Liz) Hamilton. A Montana girl with a big heart to match her smile. Sven’s adventurous nature was adored by Liz. They traveled across the country together, and were rarely ever dormant. After a few years of living together in California, they had just recently moved back to Liz’s hometown of Livingston, Montana with their beloved dog Salem. While in Montana, Sven was back to his adventurous ways. He enjoyed fly-fishing, hiking, canoeing, skiing and basking in the beauty of the Yellowstone National Park. Sven’s strength, humor, courage, laughter and viking-like qualities live on in all of us. His companions were always considered family and we’d love to hear your stories.
All friends and family are welcome to a funeral service being held on Sunday, June 14th at the Smithfield Presbyterian Church, 656 Smithfield Valley Rd., Amenia, NY. Services begin at noon.
