Bronka Sundstrom

Bronka was born August 15, 1925, in Sandomierz, Poland to her parents Abraham and Sara Czyzyk. She and her family lived in Lodz, Poland, when the country was invaded by Nazi Germany in September 1939. Lodz was soon designated as a Jewish ghetto by the Nazis. Disease, mistreatment, and starvation were rampant. From Lodz, Bronka and her family were sent in cattle cars to Auschwitz concentration camp. All of her family, eight siblings and both parents, died during the holocaust.

In 1945, after being liberated from the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp by British troops, Bronka was relocated to Sweden to recover. There she met and married her husband, Ake. The couple moved to the United States in 1948 and settled in Tacoma. Their son, Allen, was born in 1954. In the mid-1970's, Bronka and Ake found their passion in life... hiking, climbing, and skiing Mount Rainier. In the 1980's, they moved permanently to Ashford, Washington where Broka and Ake would be on the mountain every day.

Bronka was known to hike from Paradise to Camp Muir as many as 40-50 times each year. The Sundstrom's soon became park volunteers, ambassadors, and mountain celebrities. In 2002 at age 77, Bronka became the oldest woman to summit Mt. Rainier. She was indicted into the Tacoma-Pierce County Sports Hall of Fame in August 2021. Bronka was a bright, shining, and inspirational star to everyone she met. She will be long remembered as one of the kindest, most loving and gracious individuals anyone could hope to know. Bronka was preceded in death by Ake who died in 2012. Their son Allen died in 2013. She is survived by two grandchildren, Grover Sundstrom and Chloe Sundstrom.

Memorial services have yet to be finalized. According to her wishes, Sundstrom's ashes will be scattered on the slopes of Mount Rainier, where Ake's were spread.