Lögberg-Heimskringla - 15.01.1988, Page 7

Obituary
ALDARAFMÆLISÁR, FÖSTUDAGUR 15. JANÚAR 1988-7
Elma Ingibjorg Gislason
On Tuesday November 24 the life
of Elma Gislason came to an end, af-
ter a lifetime as a member of the
Icelandic Community. First in the
area of her birth, on the farm which
was the homestead of her parents
along the banks of the Assiniboine
River near Glenboro, Man. Later in
the early years of womanhood she
came to Winnipeg and lived out her
life amongst the Icelanders of the
city, which has long been the focal
point of Western Icelanders in North
America.
Early she began her musical career,
and upon arrival in Winnipeg she
studied under Professor S. K. Hall
and Gwendda-Owen Davies. She
received her degree (ARCT) in 1932
from the Toronto Conservatory.
Along with her musical career she
kept busy teaching and studied sing-
ing while raising her family. Her mu-
sical career included soloing with the
Philharmonic choir and numerous
recitals.
She was particularly fond of the
Icelandic community and spent
The Icelandic Festival
committee bid Haraldur
and Margret farewell
At the annual meeting of the
Icelandic Festival, the committee
honoured Haraldur Bessason for his
outstanding service to their organiza-
tion. Maurice Eyolfson addressed
Haraldur, reminiscing about all the
areas that Haraldur worked at. He
joined the Festival in 1957 and was
a very welcome new recruit. His
close contacts with Iceland were an
asset the committee benefited by.
At meetings everyone waited for
Haraldur's witty remarks and suc-
cinct reports. He served as president
in 1959. His cóntributions wíll be
missed but hoppfully hé‘ll return to
share future celebrations with us all.
Haraldur about to deliver the
punch line.
Lorna Tergesen, Haraldur Bessason and Carolyn Stefanson.
countless time and effort assisting
and directing musical events at their
concernts. She was Soloist and Choir
Director for 21 years at the First Fed-
erated Unitarian Church. She was
founder and director of the Festival
Opera Group which was the forerun-
ner of the first Manitoba Opera As-
sociation Choir. She was a member
of the Manitoba Registered Teacher's
Association, The Winnipeg Philhar-
monic Choir, the Jon Sigurdson
Chapter of the I.O.D.E., the Icelan-
dic Canadian, and the Icelandic Na-
tional League.
Surviving Elma are her husband
Ragnar, a son and four daughters in-
cluding their families, grandchildren,
a sister, in-laws, and numerous
nephews and nieces.
Her parents were Ingolfur and
Maria Arnason. Ingolfur was born in
1863 at the Eyjafjord in Northern
Iceland. He came to Canada in 1893
and spent the first winter in Selkirk
with an aunt. In 1894 he went to
Glenboro and worked for a number
of years at casual work. Shortly be-
fore the turn of the century he took
out homestead land and farmed there
Tallin & Kristjansson
Barristers and Solicitors
501 55 Donald St.
Winnipeg, Manitoba >-
R3C 1L8
942-8171
Minnist
BETEL
í erfðaskrám yðar
until 1921, when he moved to
Cypress River and for many years
was employed as a caretaker of the
local school. His wife was Maria
Frimansdottir also from the
Eyjafjord.
Elma was a faithful supporter of
Lögberg-Heimskringla and contribut-
ed material to the paper which ap-
peared on the pages, in the form of
written articles and poetry. She was
born to persons who came here from
Iceland, so her ability to relate to the
Icelandic community came natural-
ly. Her loyalty to her Icelandic
heritage is reflected in voluntary ef-
forts. She was a staunch supporter of
our publication and we take pleasure
in expressing our gratitude.
It is because of friends like Elma
that our paper is still being published
after 100 years of continuous service
the Icelanders and their descendants,
in Canada and the United States.
MESSUBOÐ
Fyrsta Lúterska
Kirkja
Pastor John V. Arvidson
Pastor Ingthor I. Isfeld
10:30 a.m. The Service followed
by Sunday School & Coffee hour.

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Haraldur takes the bantering with a smile.