Nils Ulf Göran Isberg

Nils Isberg passed away peacefully on November 1, 2025, after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease.

He was born in Malmö, Sweden in 1941, in the early years of in World War II. His earliest memory was of watching dogfights taking place over southern Sweden from the windows of his family’s apartment. Nils was one of four children borne by his mother Ingelisa (Rosenlöf) and father Nisse Isberg; Ingelisa was a renowned hairdresser, and Nils grew up in her hair salon — which proved to be a training ground for his own hairdressing career to come.

After launching his hairdressing and business management career in Sweden, Nils emigrated to the United States in the mid-1970s, initially settling in Dallas, where he managed the highly regarded salon at Neiman Marcus. His career took him to Indianapolis, Philadelphia, and, ultimately, Washington, DC. After leaving his corporate management position, Nils became an entrepreneur, opening the first of two salons he would own and operate in Chevy Chase, MD.

Nils was a natural athlete, playing hockey, soccer, and skiing in Sweden; and taking up tennis and golf here in the U.S. Moreover, he and his first wife, Birgit (Sivertsson), were prize-winning Latin dancers. Nils also was a talented rider, developing those skills in the Swedish cavalry and serving in the Swedish royal parade unit at the palace in Stockholm. He often told the story of how he was inducted into the cavalry solely based on the fact that he could fit into the historic uniforms, regardless of the fact that he had never been on a horse before. He also enjoyed telling of the night when he was on patrol at the palace, and attempted to arrest the King, who happened to be walking his dog late at night.

During his retirement, Nils discovered his true passion -- carving and painting highly realistic wooden sculptures of birds. He traveled the country, attending classes with the world’s foremost carvers and producing an impressive array of sculptures that, over the years, converted his home into an aviary of sorts.

Retirement also afforded Nils the time to volunteer. One of his favorite roles was at The Seeing Eye, where he helped care for young and retired seeing-eye dogs. At The Raptor Trust, he worked with injured wild birds that were being rehabilitated, an extraordinary experience that informed his carving hobby.

Nils’s other passion was travel, and he and his wife, Holly Glenn, visited far-flung locations around the world, witnessing exotic wildlife in many countries. He often cited their trek to encounter mountain gorillas in Rwanda as the most affecting travel experience in his life, followed by safaris in Botswana as a close second.

Mr. Isberg leaves behind two wonderful children, Helen Widman (Allan) and Stefan Isberg, in Malmõ, as well as three beloved granddaughters, Emma, Amanda, and Malin Widman; his brother, Staffan (Lillan); several nieces and nephews; his loving wife, Holly Glenn, and their dogs and cats.

The family wishes to thank Nils’ extraordinary doctors at John’s Hopkins Department of Neurology, as well as longtime friend and caregiver, Nora Sanchez, who, for many years, selflessly put his needs before her own.

Donations in Nils Isberg’s memory may be made to The Raptor Trust (theraptortrust.org) or to The World Wildlife Fund (wwf.org).