The Icelandic Canadian - 01.08.2009, Síða 12

102
THE ICELANDIC CANADIAN
Vol. 62 #3
Gustaf (Gus) Kristjanson: A Tribute
by Kristine Perlmutter
On December 26, 2008, Gustaf (Gus)
Kristjanson passed away at the age of 91.
He was a valued member of the Icelandic
community both in Winnipeg and in
Vancouver. As a member of the editorial
board of the Icelandic Canadian for over
twenty years while he lived in Winnipeg
and as a contributor and friend to the mag-
azine after his relocation to British
Columbia, he is warmly remembered for
his gentleness, his wide-ranging interests
and abilities and his dedication. He always
had a twinkle in his eye and did everything
gracefully and with style- whether it be
writing an article, hosting a party, enter-
taining as a singer and a pianist, gardening,
square dancing, teaching or acting.
Gus began his life near Wynyard,
Saskatchewan and grew up as part of that
Icelandic community. He graduated from
the University of Saskatchewan and began
a career as a high school teacher. While
teaching in Harris, Saskatchewan, he met
and married a fellow teacher, his charming
wife Norah (Sylvia Lenorah Bradshaw).
Gus and Norah had sixty-four years
together until her death in 2006. They were
a delightful and interesting couple. Guests
were always received graciously and could
count on good food, entertainment and
interesting souvenirs from the
Kristjansons’ travels to examine.
World War II saw Gus serving as an
officer in the Royal Canadian Navy from
1942 to 1946, both aboard corvettes and
ashore. Following his military service, he
studied broadcasting at Lome Greene’s
Academy of Radio Arts in Toronto,
Ontario. This led to a fifteen year stint at
the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, as
a script editor in Toronto and as a produc-
er for radio drama in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
He and Norah then taught school for sev-
eral years in Bella Bella, British Columbia
for the Department of Indian Affairs. Gus
spent the last fifteen years of his career as a
professor of Drama in the Faculty of
Education at the University of Manitoba.
Upon his retirement, Gus and Norah
moved to Mission, B.C. where their home gar-
dens won many awards. In his later years, he
was a resident of the Surrey/White Rock area.
Both during his working career and after
retirement, Gus was a dramatic actor on both
radio and television. He was a lifetime mem-
ber of ACTRA, having been active through-
out his life in stage, radio and television. One
of his most well-known parts was his portray-
al of John Miller, leader of an Amish commu-
nity, in a 1998 episode of the television series
MacGyver titled “The Outsiders.”
Gus and Norah loved to travel and trav-
elled all over the world. He made his last trip
in 2007, when he toured Egypt and Jordan.
Gus’s many friends and relatives will also
remember him as an excellent pianist and
singer. One of my fondest memories is of him
at the piano, entertaining at our engagement
party in 1973. He was fortunate to have been
able to keep up with his playing and singing
throughout his life.
Besides his wife, Norah, Gus was prede-
ceased by his son, Ron, in October of 2008.
Surviving him are his daughter, Sharon (Brian)
Ziel, of Aptos, California, and Ron's widow,
Remmawi Kristjanson, of Atlanta, Georgia, as
well as seven grandchildren, two step-grand-
children, seven great-grandchildren and three
step-great-grandchildren. He is survived by
his sisters, Lily Hearn, of Ashland, Oregon,
Una (David Cline) of White Rock, B.C. and
Svava Seymour of White Rock, as well as
many nieces and nephews, cousins and other
relatives.
The Icelandic Canadian is richer for all the
contributions made by Gus to the magazine
over the years. We remember him with appre-
ciation and fondness as a wonderful colleague
and friend.