Lögberg-Heimskringla - 01.03.2002, Blaðsíða 14

page 14 * Lögberg-Heimskringla * Friday 1 March 2002

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“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
Spotlighting lives lived and milestones in the lives oflcelandic North Americans.
Sarah Ann Marie "Sally" Huskilson (1942 - 2001)
A Heart of Gold
J. Marshall Burgess
Halifax, NS
My cousin, Sarah,
passed away on
December 26, 2001.
At the age of 59, she became
another victim of breast cancer.
Sarah was bom in Lockeport,
Nova Scotia, the daughter of
Lewis M. “Big Mac”
Huskilson and Georgina
(McKay) Huskilson. They are
both deceased.
Sarah was a teacher by
profession, and taught school
in Nova Scotia, Ontario and
Illinois. She was stationed with
her family in Kwajalein,
Marshall Island, where she
taught kindergarten, worked in
the Foreign Service, founded
the First Native Micronesian
Boy Scouts of America Ebeye
Chapter, and was a member of
the local chapter of the Aloha
Council, Hawaii. She lived for
many years with her family in
Illinois.
She retumed to her birth-
place, Lockeport, Nova Scotia,
in the early 1990s. There she
was elected Mayor of Lockeport
from 1997 until 2000. Her
father, Big Mac, had been mayor
there for many years.
During the millennium
year, I worked very closely
with Sarah for over a year on
special Icelandic celebrations
held in Lockeport. From 1875 -
1882, over fífty Icelandic fam-
ilies (200 souls) moved from
Iceland to live in Nova Scotia.
Most of these pioneer settlers
lived in the main settlement
located at Caribou
Mines/Mooseland, which lies
100 km east of Halifax. Nine
families, including Erlendur
Höskuldsson and Guðlaug
Stefánsdóttir, settled in the
fishing port of Lockeport,
which lies 200 km west of
Halifax. By 1882, most of
these families had left to move
to other Icelandic settlements
out west.
The Höskuldsson family
stayed. Guðlaug and Erlendur
were our great-grandmother
and great-grandfather. Sarah's
grandfather, Lewis Huskilson,
and my grandmother, Sigríður
Erlendsdóttir, were brother and
sister.
In August, 2000, Mayor
Huskilson led a six person del-
egation, including myself, to
the Town of Gimli. There we
attended the Icelandic festival,
the Islendingadagurinn, as
guests of the Mayor of Gimli,
William Barlow, and the Gimli
Town Council. The Lockeport
delegation was invited to sit on
the Town of Gimli float in the
parade. Mayor Huskilson later
joined Mayor Barlow, the
President of Iceland, His
Excellency Olafur Ragnar
Grímsson, and many other
govemment officials at Gimli
Park for the aftemoon celebra-
tions. How proud I was to see
my cousin up front on the main
stage. Mayor Barlow and other
Gimli officials later came to
Lockeport for their first
Icelandic festival.
What a celebration
Lockeport had! A memorial
caim was built by the Icelandic
Memorial Society of Nova
Scotia, the Town of Lockeport,
the Millennium Bureau of
Canada and the Republic of
Iceland. This was dedicated on
August 27, 2000 in remem-
brance of the Icelandic pioneers
who settled in Lockeport. The
Viking ship, the íslendingur,
was in Lockeport for a week
and over 5,000 visitors came to
see this magnifícent ship. Sarah
sailed on the ship from Halifax
to Lockeport. An Icelandic play,
The Saga of Guðríður
Þorbjarnardóttir, written by
Brynja Benediktsdóttir, was
performed at the local high
school. Dignitaries from the
federal and provincial govem-
ments attended the Lockeport
celebration, as well as govem-
ment officials from Iceland.
Sarah, attired in an Icelandic
dress she had
designed,
was tmly
queen of this
event.
S a r a h
worked hard
on issues she
felt were
important.
During her
tenure as
Mayor, the
Town of
Lockeport
(population
700) once
again became financially stable
and economically viable. She
represented well the fisherfolk
who participate in the Town's
main industry.
Being particularly knowl-
edgeable and interested in the
fishing industry, she was the
1997 Canadian Delegate to the
UN Summit of the Sea
Conference and an Advisor in
setting up both the Tags
Program and FRAM. She was
invited to make a presentation
to the House of Commons
Committee on the State of the
Economy in 1998 and the
Senate Committee on the East
Coast Fishery in 1999. Prior to
her term as Mayor, Sarah
served as chairperson for the
Professional Fisherman's
Conservation Association and
Eastem Shelburne Fisherman's
Association and manager of the
Inshore Fishing Fleet.
Sarah was also very proud
of her Icelandic heritage. Her
one last wish was to visit
Iceland. I promised that we
would check this out in the new
year. Unfortunately, events did
not tum out as planned.
Sarah is survived by her
sons, Spencer Javorek, Lisle,
IL; R.G. Javorek (Kim),
Naperville, IL; grandson
Joseph Thomas; brothers,
Graham (Barbara) and
Malcolm (Vicki); sister-in-law,
Joanne; nephews, Chris (Kim),
John (Carol), Peter (Theresa),
Darian, Julian, Stefan
(Michele); and nieces, Dierdre
(Jerry) and Helena (Dave). She
was predeceased by her first
husband, Ronald Javorek, and
her second husband, Peter
Cotter and brother Charles.
Sarah's heart was made of
gold. She was always looking
out for someone else. I am so
glad that the Lockeport
Icelandic Festival brought us
together and opened up a won-
derful friendship. We are going
to miss you, Cuz.
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PHOTO COURTESY OF J. MARSHALL BURGESS
J. Marshall Burgess with cousin, Sarah
Huskilson
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