Nordlys has lost its "father"

I have just received word from Veronika Newgard that Jim Tonder, who along with his wife, Yonnie, founded Nordlys (as well as Norske Runddansere, with Yonnie and Bette Moksnes, in 1983) has passed away on Saturday, March 9, 2013. There will be a private "family-only" service held at an unspecified future date.

Nordlys has had a number of significant losses in the past few years, not only from normal attrition, but the deaths of: first, John Campbell, Nordlys' director, then my husband, Andy, a longtime member of nearly 20 years, and now Jim. I'm sure I'm not the only one who is wondering about Nordlys' future at this point. I can't imagine that Yonnie, so newly bereaved, who has been acting as director since shortly after John's passing, is in any shape to be directing a dance group at this point.

Having been out of town for several months, I do not even know for sure what performances Nordlys had scheduled for this year. I plan to return to Portland soon and will endeavor to find out what the future holds for Nordlys. As soon as I know something definite, I will post it here.

My deep condolences to (and a whole lot of empathy for) Yonnie!