Íeda Jónasdóttir Herman | |
|---|---|
| Born | Ída Jónasdóttir May 21, 1925 Reykjavík, Iceland |
| Died | October 9, 2019 (aged 94) Burlington, Iowa |
| 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]
Life
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]
Works
- Íeda Jónasdóttir Herman (August 24, 2017). Happiness in Living Color. Heidi Herman (Compiler). Hekla Publishing. p. 56. ISBN 978-1947233959.
- Herman, Heidi; Herman, Íeda Jónasdóttir (July 19, 2017). Homestyle Icelandic Cooking for American Kitchens. Hekla Publishing. p. 82. ASIN B074412T18.
- Íeda Jónasdóttir Herman (April 3, 2017). Viking Kids Don't Cry. Hekla Publishing. p. 152. ISBN 9780998281681.
- Íeda Jónasdóttir Herman (July 17, 2016). The Silver Arrow. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. p. 118. ISBN 9781535203623.
- Íeda Jónasdóttir Herman (2014). Trolls - Monster Worm - Hidden People: Fond Memories of Iceland. Outskirts Press. p. 249. ISBN 978-1-4787-0008-1.
References
- ^ a b "Delbert Herman Obituary - Bloomington, IL". Peoria Journal Star. March 1–2, 2015. Archived from the original on December 1, 2017. Retrieved November 19, 2017.
- ^ a b c d Michael Smothers (January 16, 2017). "Morton stroke survivor offers sage advice". Journal Star. Archived from the original on November 8, 2017. Retrieved November 19, 2017.
- ^ a b c d e f "Íeda Jónasdóttir Herman". The Hawk Eye. October 15, 2019. Archived from the original on October 21, 2019. Retrieved October 20, 2019.
- ^ a b "Viking Kids Don't Cry, By Íeda Jónasdóttir Herman | Dedicated Review". The Children's Book Review. June 16, 2017. Archived from the original on December 1, 2017. Retrieved November 19, 2017.
- ^ a b c "Ieda Herman signs `Growing Up Viking` @ Magers & Quinn Booksellers, Minneapolis". Magers & Quinn. 21 May 2017. Archived from the original on 11 August 2017. Retrieved November 19, 2017.
- ^ "About Ieda Jonasdottir Herman, author of 'Growing Up Viking' and'Viking Kids Don't Cry'". Smashwords. 2017. Archived from the original on November 19, 2017. Retrieved November 19, 2017.
- ^ a b Oddur Ævar Gunnarsson (October 10, 2019). "Ida Jónasdóttir Herman is deceased". Fréttablaðið. Archived from the original on October 11, 2019. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
- ^ Íeda J. Herman (2014). Trolls - Monster Worm - Hidden People: Fond Memories of Iceland. Outskirts Press. ISBN 978-1-4787-0008-1.
- ^ a b "Interview with Ieda Herman Author of The Silver Arrow". Young Adult Promo Central. Archived from the original on December 1, 2017. Retrieved November 19, 2017.
- ^ a b "About". Legendary Iceland. Archived from the original on November 19, 2017. Retrieved November 19, 2017.
- ^ "91-year-old writes a cookbook of Icelandic recipes". Iceland Monitor. October 13, 2016. Archived from the original on December 1, 2017. Retrieved November 19, 2017.
- ^ Heidi Herman. "Speaker Topics". heidiherman.com. Archived from the original on November 19, 2017. Retrieved November 19, 2017.
- ^ a b Alexander Elliott (October 10, 2019). "Remembering Ída Jónasdóttir Herman". RÚV. Archived from the original on October 11, 2019. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
- ^ "Aldrei of seint" [Never Too Late] (in Icelandic). RÚV. April 19, 2019. Archived from the original on October 11, 2019. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
- ^ "Ída Jónasdóttir Herman er látin" [Ida Jónasdóttir Herman is deceased] (in Icelandic). RÚV. October 10, 2019. Archived from the original on October 10, 2019. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
External links
- Personal website
- Herman's blog
- "WWII War-Bride – Ieda Herman". Icelandic Roots. November 16, 2016.
- Íeda Herman on Twitter
- Ieda Jonasdottir Herman on Instagram
This page was last edited on 25 March 2024, at 12:33