China Neury

January 7, 1944 – November 26, 2017

China Neury of Westport, Connecticut, passed on November 26, 2017. Born Christina Britta Maria Nygren on January 7, 1944 in Sandviken, Sweden, the town where her father served as mayor, she spent her high school years in Stockholm, before emigrating to the United States for work. China radiated a special joy and unique charisma that touched many.

A homemaker in the truest sense of the word, China had a magical touch for creating success for those around her. A fiercely proud mother of four boys, she fought for their education and professional development at every step. After her divorce from Philip D. Armour III, she married Pierre Neury of Geneva, Switzerland, in 1980 at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco. China and Pierre nourished family ties and cultivated deep friendships across the globe, especially in their home towns of San Francisco, Stockholm, Geneva, and Westport. All four of China’s children: Philip, Maximillian, Nicholas, and Alexandre, were born in San Francisco and benefited from her brave decision to board a ship in the mid1960s and seek opportunity in America. An attentive and loyal friend, she worked as a fashion model and loved to read memoirs, biographies, history, and spiritual literature. China’s passion for notable life stories animated her relationships with a romance for the grand. More than anything, “Mamma” loved to be outdoors, skiing in the Sierra Nevada, the Alps, and the East Coast and walking, biking, and sailing in Torekov, Sweden, where she summered with her extended family for many decades.

China is survived by her beloved and devoted husband of 37 years, Pierre, her four boys, her six grandchildren: Malkolm, Raven, Oskar, Griffin, LeeLoo, and Onyx, and her two brothers: Karl-Gösta and Hans Nygren of Sweden. We light a candle for you, China, as you always did for us with such sweet intention. You were and remain the light of our lives. Your rich and warm legacy lives on through us all.

A memorial service will be held at 10:00 a.m., Saturday, January 27, 2017 at the Unitarian Church in Westport, Connecticut. Private ceremonies will be held in Torekov and Stockholm this summer. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to the Alzheimer’s Association.