Íeda Jónasdóttir Herman | |
---|---|
Born | Ída Jónasdóttir May 21, 1925 Reykjavík, Iceland |
Died | October 9, 2019 Burlington, Iowa | (aged 94)
Occupation | writer, interior designer |
Language | English, Icelandic |
Genre | memoir, fiction, cooking |
Subject | Icelandic culture and cuisine |
Years active | 2014-2019 |
Spouse | Delbert Jury Herman (1945-2015) [1] |
Children | 10 [2] |
Website | |
vikingamma |
Íeda Jónasdóttir Herman (May 21, 1925, in Reykjavík, Iceland – October 9, 2019, in Burlington, Iowa) [3] was an Icelandic author and adventurer. [4] [5]
Herman was born to Jonas Bjornsson and Dagbjort Oktavia Bjarnadottir in Iceland in 1925. [3] She grew up in the 1930s, [5] and was raised hearing stories of Vikings and the Huldufólk or "Hidden People" of Iceland. [6] During World War II, she met Rev. Delbert J Herman, an American serviceman who was stationed in Reykjavík. [3] [2] They were married on March 25, 1945. [3] She was the first Icelandic woman to marry an American soldier. They then moved to Illinois together. [2] When she became a US citizen in 1956, she lost her Icelandic citizenship. [7]
Herman graduated with a degree in interior design in Chicago, and opened her own design shop. She retired in 2009 and earned a degree from the Institute of Children's Literature. [8] In 2015, her husband of 70 years died. [1]
At 88 years old, Herman went paragliding for the first time in Utah. She loved it so much, she repeated the experience two years later in her homeland of Iceland. [5] [9] She also explored the cave that inspired Jules Verne's Journey to the Center of the Earth. [9] [10]
Despite suffering from a stroke in 2016, she remained very active physically, staying fit and traveling. [2] At the age of 91, she co-authored a cookbook of Icelandic cuisine with her daughter. [11] Along with her daughter, she conducted presentations on Icelandic culture and cooking. [12] She also led adult education seminars, and has written articles for magazines and newspapers. [10] She was the subject of the 2019 RÚV documentary Aldrei of Seint (Never Too Late). [13] [14]
Herman died on October 9, 2019, in Burlington, Iowa. [3] [15] Her Icelandic citizenship had been restored by Alþingi earlier that year. [7] [13] At the time of her death, Herman had 24 great-grandchildren and eight great-great-grandchildren, [3] and had been returning to Iceland annually to share her story and knowledge of Icelandic history. [4]
Íeda Jónasdóttir Herman | |
---|---|
Born | Ída Jónasdóttir May 21, 1925 Reykjavík, Iceland |
Died | October 9, 2019 Burlington, Iowa | (aged 94)
Occupation | writer, interior designer |
Language | English, Icelandic |
Genre | memoir, fiction, cooking |
Subject | Icelandic culture and cuisine |
Years active | 2014-2019 |
Spouse | Delbert Jury Herman (1945-2015) [1] |
Children | 10 [2] |
Website | |
vikingamma |
Íeda Jónasdóttir Herman (May 21, 1925, in Reykjavík, Iceland – October 9, 2019, in Burlington, Iowa) [3] was an Icelandic author and adventurer. [4] [5]
Herman was born to Jonas Bjornsson and Dagbjort Oktavia Bjarnadottir in Iceland in 1925. [3] She grew up in the 1930s, [5] and was raised hearing stories of Vikings and the Huldufólk or "Hidden People" of Iceland. [6] During World War II, she met Rev. Delbert J Herman, an American serviceman who was stationed in Reykjavík. [3] [2] They were married on March 25, 1945. [3] She was the first Icelandic woman to marry an American soldier. They then moved to Illinois together. [2] When she became a US citizen in 1956, she lost her Icelandic citizenship. [7]
Herman graduated with a degree in interior design in Chicago, and opened her own design shop. She retired in 2009 and earned a degree from the Institute of Children's Literature. [8] In 2015, her husband of 70 years died. [1]
At 88 years old, Herman went paragliding for the first time in Utah. She loved it so much, she repeated the experience two years later in her homeland of Iceland. [5] [9] She also explored the cave that inspired Jules Verne's Journey to the Center of the Earth. [9] [10]
Despite suffering from a stroke in 2016, she remained very active physically, staying fit and traveling. [2] At the age of 91, she co-authored a cookbook of Icelandic cuisine with her daughter. [11] Along with her daughter, she conducted presentations on Icelandic culture and cooking. [12] She also led adult education seminars, and has written articles for magazines and newspapers. [10] She was the subject of the 2019 RÚV documentary Aldrei of Seint (Never Too Late). [13] [14]
Herman died on October 9, 2019, in Burlington, Iowa. [3] [15] Her Icelandic citizenship had been restored by Alþingi earlier that year. [7] [13] At the time of her death, Herman had 24 great-grandchildren and eight great-great-grandchildren, [3] and had been returning to Iceland annually to share her story and knowledge of Icelandic history. [4]