Karin Fry moved to America from Sweden 50 years ago to fulfill her late father's dream of living on a farm in America. She has had much success, including opening a restaurant and real estate agency, but her American dream died with the death of her son Pierre in 2012, which she believes was a murder that was not properly investigated. She is now writing a book about her life and journey titled "The Death of an American Dream" in hopes that she can find justice for her son and finally fulfill her dream.

1. Fry marks 50 years in America with book
By: Alex Averitt
Karin Fry’s American dream began when she was a little girl and died with her son.
Fifty years ago last week, Feb. 25, 1965, she moved to Rigby from Gothenburg, Sweden,
to fulfill her late father’s dream of coming to America. She denied the proposal of a
Count to move to America, finding successes and finally devastation. She is now writing
a book about her journey.
Now 76 years old, Fry explained that she wants to share her history with people.
“I want to share my American experiences, both good and the bad, mostly good. I want to
express thanks for the love and care I received when I moved into this community. The
people here accepted me as one of their own,” she said.
Life in Sweden
Karin grew up in Sweden and as a little girl she dreamed of the day that she would grow
up and fulfill her father’s dream. Karin said that he father’s dream, to move to America
where they could farm, was the most important thing to her.
“I lived on that dream. I wanted to do all I could to make my father proud,” she said.
Karin was born on June 4, 1939. Her mother passed away when she was very young as
did her father. She spent most of her childhood in an orphanage and in foster homes.
Karin says that living in the orphanage taught her about life.
“I learned to live with other people. I learned to be responsible. I learned to stand on my
own two feet,” she said.
When she was 18 years old she was invited to live at Castle Herrborum with Countess
Louis Montgomery and her son Count Magnum Stenbok; where she helped the Count
type his book “Thoughts and Comments by some of Tomorrow’s Questions.”
The Count asked Karin to marry him when she was only 19 and he was 48. She was
being groomed to marry the Count, which meant learning the ways of royalty. However,
Karin explained that she wouldn’t accept his proposal.
“I told the count I couldn’t marry him. I had my American dream. That was my father’s
dying wish. (The Count) was a very nice man but I thought of him as more of a father
figure. The age difference was too much. I respected him though and he was a wonderful
person,” said Fry.

2. Karin attended college in Sweden and, during a summer break, met Bertil Savkranz.
Bertil was a professional composer and pianist. She met him while working at a theatre in
Stokholm. Together they had a son named Pierre. Unfortunately Bertil passed away.
The start of an American Dream
Karin’s dream was finally realized when she was offered a job in Rigby as a nanny. She
had been given the opportunity she needed to start her new life.
Eventually Karin and Pierre, who was only four years old, made their journey to America
on a cold February morning. She moved to Rigby and started her job as a nanny for
Wayne Fry’s children. He had three children named Robby, Randy, and Allen. His
children soon became her own. Karin ended up marrying Wayne and they had a child
together named LaRena.
Karin’s life is full of accomplishments. She opened up her own restaurant called the
“European Inn” which won the American Dining Award for Idaho in 1976. Fry also
became a real-estate broker and opened her own agency called Skandia Properties of
America which she still operates. She served on the Better Business Bureau’s board for
many years, and was major part of bringing the BBB to the area. She was later inducted
into the BBB Western Wyoming and Eastern Idaho Hall of Fame in 2005. In 2008 her
agency Skandia Properties of America received a BBB torch award.
In November of 1996 tragedy struck when her son Pierre was paralyzed in a car accident.
He was in the hospital for five months before he returned home and was able to manage
the farm and ranch. Born out of this tragic event was hope; in Oct. 2002, Karin, Pierre,
and his daughters, Kym and Nikole, founded AdvoCare, a non-profit organization that
assists wheelchair bound residents in Eastern Idaho.
One of the biggest honors she received was being invited to President George W. Bush’s
Presidential Dinner in 2006. Karin and her granddaughter Kym both attended, which she
expressed was an experience they would never forget.
Karin explained that she felt people in the community helped her live her American
dream.
“I achieved so much with the help of others. People opened doors for me and allowed me
to do what I wanted. They allowed me to live my American dream,” she said.
The death of an American dream
Karin’s life changed forever in the summer of 2012 when the most heartbreaking event of
her life occurred, the death of her beloved son Pierre. She said that when he died her
American dream died with him. She explained that this is why her book will be entitled
“The Death of a American Dream.”

3. “My American dream died the day my son did. There was no justice for him. I don’t
dream anymore,” she said.
Pierre died on August 30, 2012, and Karin believes that her son was murdered.
The day he died Karin found Pierre in his car. He was lying on the floor of the car, out of
his wheelchair. She said that his leg brace was taken off, and didn’t think that he would
have fallen out of his wheelchair because it was so secure.
She took steps to try and find justice for her son. She is frustrated because when she went
to Sheriff Blair Olsen it didn’t feel like anything was getting resolved. She then went and
had a doctor analyze the way the body was found. He said that he concluded that in was
improbable that Pierre would have fallen that way.
She included this report in a letter to the prosecuting attorney. She even hired a private
investigator with no results. She did all she could, but feels that the Jefferson County
Sheriff’s Office didn’t do all they could in investigating her son’s case.
Karin says that her son’s death cut her dream short and that it remains incomplete.
“The dream was never fulfilled because it ended so badly,” she said.
Three of her five children- stepchildren survive today. She has four grandchildren; Kym,
Nikole, Brandi, and Dillon. Her daughter LaRena lives in Reno, Nev.
Karin says she lives on in hopes that one day she will find justice for her son Pierre. She
said that her dream might be complete if she finds justice for her son.
“Maybe if I find justice, maybe then my dream will be fulfilled. My son’s death was like
winter. Winter kills a flower, but when spring comes flowers bloom again. If I got justice
maybe my dream would bloom again,” said Fry.