Augusta Nygard

Augusta “Gussie” Nygard of Windsor, Colorado, passed away at home surrounded by family on January 25, 2026.

Gussie was born on August 4, 1927, in Flat Bush, New York, to Sigrid and Hjalmar Samuelsen. During the Great Depression, she spent several years of her early childhood in Norway. After returning to the United States, she lived in Connecticut before moving back to Long Island.

While living on Long Island, Gussie met her first husband, Buzz, and together they had two children, Linda and Gary. After her children were grown, Gussie moved to New Mexico and later to Colorado. She worked as a cafeteria worker and also as a secretary. After 25 years of marriage, her first husband passed away.

Gussie later married her second husband, Johnny. They lived in New York and Florida and spent many years traveling the world, mostly by cruise ship. Following Johnny’s passing, Gussie moved to Fruita, Colorado, to be closer to her daughter, and later to Windsor, Colorado, to be closer to her granddaughter.

Gussie was preceded in death by her parents, Hjalmar and Sigrid Samuelsen; her son, Gary Swaine; her daughter, Linda Keller; and her great-granddaughter, Kaitlyn Siefken.

She is survived by her son-in-law, Curt Keller of Loveland, Colorado; her granddaughter, Misty (Keller) Siefken of Johnstown, Colorado; her grandson-in-law, Dave Siefken of Johnstown, Colorado; and her great-grandchildren, Andrew, Sean, and Ashley Siefken, nieces, nephews and cousins.

Burial will be held at Cedar Hill Memorial Cemetery in Gypsum, Colorado, on Saturday, January 31, 2026, at 12:30pm