Lögberg-Heimskringla - 20.04.2001, Page 7

Lögberg-Heimskringla • Föstudagur 20. apríl 2001 • 7
“Any man’s death diminishes me, for I am involved in mankind... No man is an island, entire ofhimself. ”—John Donne • “Maður er manns gaman.”—Hávamál
Spotligliting lives lived and milestones in the lives of Iceiandic North Americans.
A Tribute to Richard Halldor Hordal (excerpt)
Evelyn K. Thorvaldson
WlNNIPEG, MB
Ricky lived for the moment. All
too soon for his years, his final
moment came. (He was 54
years.) Ricky died of complications
caused in an accident in Helsinki,
Finland. Stepping out onto the street, he
lost his footing and slipped. A taxi could
not avoid him. His body was crushed
beyond belief—his legs, kidneys, liver,
spleen and lungs were all severely dam-
aged. Ricky succumbed to his injuries on
Monday, March 19.
Ricky was a good friend of the
Iceland Embassy in Helsinki. They did
their utmost in communicating with his
family here and assisting in arrange-
ments for Tubby and daughter-in-law
Ruby to be with Ricky. That was incred-
ible, as his Mom had never been in an
airplane. Tubby and Ruby were with
Ricky for a few days before he died.
There must have been comfort in know-
ing that his mother had overcome the
dreadful fear of flying to be at his side.
I knew Ricky early on in his life.
Only 8 years his senior, I actually
babysat this great kid. When he was lit-
tle, perhaps 5 years old or so, he was
already showing signs of the happy, help-
ful child everyone would want as a son.
With his younger brothers, Ricky came
to be the “big helper” around their home.
He was considerate. He had a “glow”
about him that was contagious. He could
make you smile and laugh like no other.
Ricky graduated from high school in
Lundar, then applied to the foreign stu-
dent scholarship and was accepted at the
University of Iceland to study the lan-
guage. He left Lundar to fulfill his
dreams in 1967. He flourished in all stud-
ies. Life was not easy in Iceland for him.
He endured the programs, the change in
lifestyle, the challenges of fitting into a
different world of culture and heritage.
He had to also endure the longing for
home on many occasions. But, Ricky had
made the decision to see his plan
through, and was successful. He estab-
lished his own art restoration business in
downtown Reykjavík—Grjótu Götu 6. It
had an atmosphere of an “old country
store”—people came to visit Ricky, peo-
ple from all walks of life. He had a natu-
ral ability of relating to people and
always took a genuine interest in them
for who they were.
I recall a letter that Ricky sent to my
mother shortly after he went to Iceland.
One statement stands out in my mind: “I
am writing to you a few lines—while I
try to conjure up the courage to go to the
dinner table. They are serving ‘SVIÐ.’”
He and my mother were good friends—
as he was to so many.
My first visit to Iceland in 1972
included Ricky as one of the people I
needed to see. We spent June 17 togeth-
er—Iceland’s Independence Day cele-
Argyle District
Continued from page 6
the Icelandic pioneers found that all of
the land in the area south of Cypress
River and Glenboro and through to
Baldur had already been claimed.
Therefore a community was estab-
lished north of Glenboro in the sandy
region along the Assiniboine River
which is now Spruce Woods Provincial
Park. These pioneers found diflficult
times as much of the soil was light and
EIMSKIP
THE ICELAND STEAMSHIP COMPANY LTD.
Fastest regular direct sailings to lceland,
Shelburne and Newfoundland
unsuitable for cultivation. Skalholt
Cemetery contains the remains of many
of these families. This is an interesting
side trip. Go north from Glenboro on
Highway #5 until you come to the
Kiche Manitou entrance to Spruce
Woods Park. Look for the country road
that tums east at Kiche Manitou. This
road is only a hundred metres or so
south of the Emest Thompson Seton
Bridge on the Assiniboine River.
Follow the road through the camp-
ground area and stay to the right as you
drive up the hill out of
the camp area. You
will come out on flat
farm land. Drive
straight east about
three miles and you
will find Skalholt
Cemetery with its
Shelburne
Boston
New York
Norfolk
Argentia
Bakkafoss
103
03/17
03/19
03/21
03/23
03/28
Skogafoss
104
03/31
04/02
04/04
04/06
04/11
Bakkafoss
104
04/14
04/16
04/18
04/20
04/25
■ Rotterdam, Netherland
• Hamburg, Germany
■ Immingham, UK
’ Helsingborg &
Gothenburg, Sweden
TRANSATLANTIC
(Via lceland)
Direct Service To/From:
1 Fredrikstad, Norway
• Aarhus & Copenhagen,
Denmark
• Thorshavn, Faroe
Islands
EIMSKIP USA, INC.
P.O. Box 3698, Norfolk, VA 23510
Freight rates and bookings
call toll free: 800-446-8317
‘Halifax - 902-423-8136
Icelandic names. Many of the graves
here are those of children, mute testi-
mony to the hard times of a hundred
years ago.
Spmce Woods Park is worth a stop.
The new park centre is open through
the summer months. The interpretive
building contains much information
about the park, its natural history, its
landforms, its flora and fauna, and its
people. One of those was the
Icelanders.
If you wish to go for a day’s drive
or spend a weekend or a summer holi-
day, this is an area worth exploring.
There is always something to see or to
leam.
We will continue the piece on Vogar,
which was to be continued in this issue,
next week.
bration. A wonderful visit! I recall the
definite appearance of our Ricky, who
seemed to have become totally native to
Iceland. Commenting on the perfect con-
trol of the Icelandic language and knowl-
edge of the history of Iceland, I suggest-
ed that he was traly “one of them now.”
Ricky responded with, “They tell me I
am not traly Icelandic until I can dream
in Icelandic.” He had not been able to
accomplish that yet. Ricky had married
Álfheiður and they lived in a Reykjavík
apartment. Their daughter Lára Björk
was born some years later and I had the
pleasure of meeting her when they visit-
ed Lundar. She was the light of Ricky’s
heart.
Ricky loved his family here in
Lundar. He spoke gently and fondly of
his mom and dad, Jocelyn and Oscar
(Tubby and Scotty). He missed the fact
that he lost out on growing up with his
brothers. He spoke sadly of his brother
Dougie, who lost his young life in a boat-
ing accident on Lake Manitoba. They
were all his “little brothers,” as he would
phrase it. He missed the uncles and aunts
and the many cousins he left behind.
Each time he visited Lundar, he was able
to get consolation and assurance that he
was very much loved and still a part of
them.
The devastating news of Ricky’s
tragic accident and subsequent death has
left many saddened hearts. We know that
his memory will live on and will become
more precious with time. Our lives are
much richer for having known him. We
had the honour and the privilege.
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