Refsal, Harley Jerome 1944 - 2024

REFSAL, BREKKE, BOOTS, SANDERS, CHRISTIANSON, GABRIELSON

Posted By: Joy Moore (email)
Date: 9/13/2024 at 13:08:52

Harley Jerome Refsal, age 79, passed away peacefully on September 8, 2024, at Barthell Eastern Star Nursing Home in Decorah, Iowa, surrounded by family and friends.

Harley was an internationally recognized woodcarver who specialized in Scandinavian-style flat-plane carving. In 1996, he received the St. Olav's Medal from the King of Norway in recognition of his contributions to Norwegian folk art. In 2012, Harley was named the Woodcarver of the Year by “Woodcarving Illustrated” magazine for both reviving the art of flat-plane carving and teaching it across the United States and around the world.

On Christmas Day in 1944, Harley was born to Carl “Arthur” and Clara (Brekke) Refsal, joining his older sister Marcia for an idyllic childhood of traditional farming in rural Hoffman, MN. He learned to live with and love horses from an early age as his father continued the nearly out-dated practice of farming with horses. Harley often recalled setting out on horseback on May Day with a wash tub on his lap, delivering May baskets to friends on neighboring farms. Much later in his childhood, his father put the horses out to pasture and bought a tractor with steel wheels. In their younger years, the siblings attended country school near the farm, and subsequently graduated from high school in Hoffman. He began working with wood early in his childhood. His father, who was a carpenter and farmer, and a beloved woodworker uncle who lived nearby kept Harley well supplied with wood, tools, and encouragement.

After high school, Harley followed in his mother Clara’s footsteps by attending Augsburg College in Minneapolis, MN, majoring in Norwegian and Sociology. He sang in the Augsburg choir, and it was during a choir tour of Norway and Sweden in 1968 that his love of woodcarving took hold as he saw figures depicting traditional rural life in Norway. He was completely captivated, and those images lived on with him as he returned home. Upon graduation from Augsburg he attended the University of Oslo for one year, followed by Luther Theological Seminary in St. Paul, MN, where he graduated with a Master of Divinity degree.

In 1972, Harley moved to Decorah for what would become a 40+ year career at Luther College. He was first hired as the Assistant Campus Pastor and Head Resident of Men’s Tower (now called Dieseth Hall). Harley went on to hold different administrative positions including Director of Study Abroad, both sending Luther students to study in foreign countries and accepting foreign students to study at Luther. He ultimately found his calling as a professor of Scandinavian Folk Art and Norwegian language. His classes were wildly popular, especially his Scandinavian Fine Handcraft January term course where students had to eat a bowl of ice cream with a spoon they carved in order to pass the final exam.

Shortly after joining Luther College, Harley met the love of his life, Norma (Boots) Refsal, at a Halloween party in 1973. A month later the two were engaged and married on June 8, 1974. They celebrated 50 years this summer. Over the years they became proud parents of two sons: Carl, who was born in Nottingham, England, the year they directed the Luther College program there, and Martin, who was born in Decorah. The family spent another year abroad when Harley attended Telemark University College in Rauland, Norway, studying traditional Norwegian art and handwork. It was during this year that he realized what he had come to study was essentially gone from the Norwegian landscape and began his work bringing it back into Norway’s mainstream artistic expression.

Primarily a self-taught woodcarver, Harley began winning awards in regional and national carving exhibitions in the late 1970s. He continued his research on the history of Scandinavian carving, and in the early 1980s, coined the phrase “flat-plane carving” as an article was being written about him for Midwest Living. The term stuck and continues to be associated with that style of carving. During his research, he discovered that most of the artists who worked in this style during the height of its popularity in the early decades of the 20th century in both Scandinavia and America had died. The tradition of flat-plane carving had faded to near extinction.

Since the 1980s, Harley, who spoke fluent Norwegian, shared his knowledge of, and skills in, Scandinavian flat-plane carving with thousands of carvers in classes across North America and Scandinavia. The list of places he taught at and held dear was long and included Vesterheim Museum (Decorah, IA), North House Folk School (Grand Marais, MN), Raulandsakademiet (Rauland, Norway), John C. Campbell Folk School (Brasstown, NC), Milan Village Arts School (Milan, MN), and Fletcher Farm School for the Arts and Crafts (Ludlow, VT). He was a founding board member of North House Folk School. In addition to writing many books and articles on woodcarving, he was also featured on numerous radio and television programs, including the PBS Peabody Award-winning series "Craft in America" and Garrison Keillor’s “A Prairie Home Companion.” Pioneer PBS, with producer Dana Conroy, did a remarkable video retrospective of Harley’s carving career. His name is so integrally linked with the revival of flat-plane figure carving that it is often referred to as the "Refsal style."

Harley will be remembered as a gentle, compassionate, and inspiring man who greatly enriched the lives of those around him. His spirit will live on in the countless students he taught, the beautiful works he created, and in the warm memories shared with his family and friends. He will also be remembered for his iconic look, which included a tollekniv on his belt and a carved wooden one carrot necklace. He was uniquely Harley.

Harley was preceded in death by his parents; sister Marcia Sanders; mother- and father-in-law Julie and Kenneth Boots; sister-in-law Justine Boots; niece-in-law Jodi Sanders; numerous aunts and uncles; and faithful shadow Maybe, his Yorkshire terrier. Harley is survived by his wife Norma, of Decorah; their two children, Carl of Memphis, TN and Martin of Decorah; brother-in-law Walt Sanders of Wadena, MN; brother-in-law John Boots of Ogema, MN; brother- and sister-in-law Owen and Linda Christianson of Decorah; and brother- and sister-in-law Paul Boots and Katryn Gabrielson of North Yarmouth, ME. He is also survived by 9 nieces and nephews: Shari Hoffmann (Tracy); Tom Sanders (Jane); Trevor Sanders (Dawn); Jennifer Boots-Marshall (John); Mary-Catherine Boots-Sacra; Peter Christianson; Rebekah Fonkert (Jeff); Christopher Boots (Letson); and Anna Boots. His life was enriched by the presence of 11 great nieces and nephews: Kristi Hoffmann; Tony Hoffmann; Brittany (Sanders) Riedesel; Ryan Sanders; Joel Boots-Marshall; Owen Boots-Marshall; Alice Boots-Sacra; Jens Fonkert; Gus Fonkert; Nell Boots; and Max Boots.

A Celebration of Life will be held on Friday, October 11, 2024, at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Decorah, IA at 11:00 a.m. with Rev. April Larson presiding. Visitation will be from 9:45 a.m. until the time of service at the church. There will be a lunch and time of remembrance following the service.

We are deeply grateful for the expert and loving care Harley received at Barthell Eastern Star Nursing Home and Hospice of WinnMed.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to any of the following: Good Shepherd Lutheran Church; Vesterheim Museum; Luther College; or North House Folk School, 500 W Hwy 61, PO Box 759, Grand Marais, MN 55604.

Well done, Harley.

Source: Helms Funeral Home database