Inga Ragnhild (Hjelm) Black

Inga was born on June 3, 1931, in Hartford, CT, to the late Gustav R. Hjelm and Marta (Anderson) Hjelm Werner, who immigrated to the United States from Sweden in 1929. She has a twin sister, Britta Hjelm Johnson, who passed away June 20, 2020, and two younger sisters, Elsie Hjelm Swan (Lakewood, NY) and Sandra Werner Brown (Avon, CT). Inga and her sisters, Britta and Elsie, resided in the Cromwell Children’s Home, Cromwell, CT, from 1937-1942, spending most weekends with their father.

In 1942, Inga’s father, Gustav, married Ruth Hellberg and soon the family moved to Jamestown, NY to be near Ruth’s parents. Inga attended Lincoln Junior High School and graduated from Jamestown High School in 1949. A year later, her step-mother Ruth passed away unexpectedly. In December 1951, her father, Gustav, married Elvera Coleman.

Soon after graduating from high school, Inga met the love of her life, Richard William (Bill) Black, a young GI, also from Jamestown, while roller skating at the Midway Park Rink. They were married on April 28, 1951, and celebrated their 64th Wedding Anniversary in 2015, a few months before Bill passed away.

After marrying, Inga and Bill moved to Houghton, New York, where Bill attended college. In 1955, Bill and Inga along with their two little girls, Cindi and Susie, moved to Randolph, NY, where Bill began his teaching and coaching career, A few years later they moved back to the Jamestown area when he began teaching at Falconer High School. Sons Jim and Jon were soon added to the family.

Inga and Bill were lifelong members of First Covenant Church in Jamestown, NY.

Working together with Christians from many local churches, they were instrumental in starting several Christian ministries in Jamestown, modeled after the Teen Challenge ministries, to share the Gospel and serve troubled teens, runaways, and children. God worked mightily through the Bridge, the Harbor House, the Beacon and the Door, and many were led to a saving faith in Jesus Christ. Inga and Bill were recognized for their service and ministry by SERTOMA of Jamestown with the “Service to Man-kind Award in 1972, and were honored by the Jamestown Chapter of the NAACP in 1978.

Inga was a loving and busy wife and mom, as well as a loving and thoughtful daughter, sister, aunt, and friend. She made friends very easilyÃ-she never met a stranger! As a homemaker, she loved caring for her home, decorating, especially with Swedish things, as well as entertaining, having “coffee parties”, shopping, and sewing. Her favorite colors for decorating or wearing were Swedish yellow and blue! She loved color-coordinating Bill’s outfits with hers, and all of her children’s outfits with each other, inspired, I’m sure, by years of memories of dressing alike with her sisters. Britta and Elsie, in outfits made for them by their dear Grandma Hellberg. Everyone loved her yummy homemade brownies and Swedish rice pudding. Homemade applesauce and a dessert were important parts of almost every dinner she served.

Inga worked at Hedberg’s Bakery when she was in high school, then as a bank teller. Later in life she worked at Bigelow’s as a bridal consultant, and at Love Elementary School as a “play therapist”.

In their retirement years, Bill and Inga traveled often to spend time with family and friends scattered across the United States. Their 12 grandchildren eagerly looked forward to visits from Grandma Inga and Grandpa Bill! After selling their Lakin Avenue home in 2003, Bill and Inga lived for 12 years in the Lindgren apartments of the Lutheran Retirement Community before leaving Jamestown in January 2015 to live near family in Mount Vernon, Ohio. After Bill passed away in August 2015, Inga moved to the Ohio Eastern Star Retirement Community in Mount Vernon, where she lived until she joined him and so many other loved ones in her Eternal Home in Heaven. There she is, now and forever, worshipping and singing praises to her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, together with all the Saints who have gone before her!

Inga is survived by her beloved children and their families, Cindi (Dr. Tim) Gronberg of College Staion, TX, Sue (Paul) Swanson of Mount Vernon, OH, Rev. Jim (Laurie) Black of Alexandria, MN, and Rev. Jon (Rev. Lynn) Black of McPherson, KS; her 12 grandchildren, Lise Gronberg (Jamey) DeBruin, Casey (Natalie) Swanson, Leah Gronberg (Zeb) Hood, Andrew (Jacque) Gronberg, Brady (Emily) Swanson, Alex (Jessie Gade) Black, Connor (Jaye) Black, Riley (Keli) Swanson, Micah (Jordan) Black, Molly Black, Mattea Black, and Mia Black, and her 18 great-grandchildren. She is also survived by her beloved sisters, Elsie Hjelm Swan (Lakewood, NY), Sandra Werner Brown (Avon, CT), and Nancy Black Anderson (sister-in-law, Jamestown, NY), as well as by her cherished nieces, nephews, ex-tended family in Sweden, and many special friends.

Inga was preceded in death by her beloved hus-band, Bill, and many beloved family members: her parents, Gustav and Marta Hjelm, her step-mothers, Ruth Hellberg Hjelm, and Elvera Coleman Hjelm, her grandparents, Gustaf and Hildur Hjelm of Grinden (Nybble), Sweden, her step-grandparents, Signe and Carl Hellberg, her twin sister Britta and brother-in-law, J. Robert Johnson, her brother-in-law, Duane Swan, her parents-in-law, Walter and Daphne Black, her brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law Robert and Nancy Black, Jimmy Black, Peggy Black, Winston and Armede Black Brown, David Anderson and step-brother-in-law, Peter Brown, as well as many aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, nephews, and special friends.

Inga’s family wishes to express special thanks to all of the loving family and friends who prayed for, encouraged, and cared for her during the last years of her life.

The families of Inga Black and Britta Johnson are planning a joint memorial service for the “Hjelm Twins” to be held at First Covenant Church in Jamestown, New York on Saturday July 9, 2022. A coffee hour visitation will take place from 9:30-10:30 am in the church Fellowship Hall, followed by a service in the Sanctuary at 10:45 am. Burial will be at Sunset Hill Cemetery in Lakewood, NY.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in memory of Inga and/or Britta to God’s Pantry Food Ministry at First Covenant Church, 520 Spring St., Jamestown, NY 14701, or Gideon’s International, P.O. Box 3373, Jamestown, NY 14702-3373.