volume cxxii may, 2014 no. 5 western division mini ......donned abba-era attire and performed a...
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www.auss.org
Published by the American Union of Swedish Singers
In its 122nd year of Performing Svenska Sånger in America
Volume CXXII May, 2014 No. 5
The Swedish Women’s Chorus and
Svea hosted a Heritage Choir Festival on
May 3 at the Swedish Cultural Center in
Seattle.
Over 10 choirs and 180 singers gath-
ered together to share music from north-
ern European cultures.
The Finnish Choral Society, Gesang-
verein Arion (German Choir), Norwegian
Male Chorus, the Norwegian Ladies
Chorus, SVEA Male Chorus, Swedish
Women’s Chorus, the Northwest Nordic
Ladies Choir from Everett, the Scandina-
vian Male Chorus of Portland, and the
Scandia Ladies Chorus of Portland all
sang songs from their musical heritage
and finally gathered together under the
direction of Allan Andrews to sing en
masse at the end. Each chorus sang the
national anthem of their country and then
sang several pieces in their language.
Afterward, a potluck reception was
held during which singers and attendees
talked music and enjoyed each others
company. We want to do it again and
maybe even have more choirs. A special
guest appearance was made by Balti-
cusm, a group of five women who spe-
cialize in Baltic pieces.
Having such a broad range of music, it
gave all participants a chance to review
their own repertoire and observe how
other groups adapt their heritage music to
modern times. One piece sung by the
Norwegian Ladies Chorus was Tirn’a
Noir a piece based on an Irish legend
with Irish musical overtones written by a
contemporary Norwegian composer, Oy-
vind Staveland. It was just a lovely
piece.
The Seattle and Portland choruses of
the American Union of Swedish Singers
Western Division Mini-Convention Features Heritage Choir Festival
used the event to meet the next morning
at the famous Swedish Club pancake
breakfast for their bi-annual Western
Division meeting.
- Mary Hillman
Afternoon rehearsal of massed chorus
Can you guess which directors were for the Swedish choruses? (Hint: flower colors) They are Vance Sele and Allan Andrews
May 2014 MUSIKTIDNING page 2 of 8
OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN UNION OF SWEDISH SINGERS
(Organized November 24, 1892)
A Musical Journal in English and Swedish
"To teach, cultivate and promote Chorus singing, principally Swedish."
ELLEN SVENGALIS, Editor 204 Wyassup Road
No. Stonington, CT 06359
Tel: (860) 535-0362 Fax: (860) 535-0378 E-mail: musiktidning@auss.org
CHARLES UPCRAFT Business Manager
4525 Parkside Lane Edina MN 55436
Phone: (952) 928-8173 E-Mail: upcraftc@pfm.com
JAMES R. MAURICE Subscriptions
445 E. North Water St. E2203 Chicago, IL 60611-5542
Tel: (312) 670-9570 Winter (Jan-Apr) tel: (727) 729-6269
E-mail (all yr.): JMaur61541@aol.com
OFFICERS OF AUSS 2012-2016 President: Alana Mapes
25500 NW Svea Dr. Hillsboro, OR 97124
Phone: (503) 647-5486 E-mail: lubedealer@coho.net
Vice President: Christine Johnson
700 S. Main Street Ste 119-133 Lapeer, MI 48446-3077 Phone: (313) 506-5458
E-mail: clj18464@aol.com
Secretary: Kelly Otto P.O. Box 20835
Portland, OR 97294 Phone: (503) 318-7929
E-mail: ottoks@comcast.net
Financial Secretary: James R. Maurice 445 E. North Water St. E2203
Chicago, IL 60611-5542 Phone: (312) 670-9570
Winter (Jan-Apr): 670 Island Way #904 Clearwater, FL 33767
FL phone: (727) 729-6269 E-mail (all yr.): JMaur61541@aol.com
Treasurer: Charles Upcraft
4525 Parkside Lane Edina MN 55436
Phone: (952) 928-8173 E-Mail: upcraftc@pfm.com
Librarian: Robert Voedisch
722 N. Haddow St. Arlington, IL 60004
Phone: (842)255-7253 E-mail: karob2@earthlink.com
Director-in-Chief: Sherry Dreyfuss
11665 Gleneagles Lane Belvidere, IL 61008
Phone: (815) 885-1424 Fax: 815-885-2250
E-mail: swedishcantor@gmail.com
Asst. Director-in-chief: Ken Olsson P.O. Box 445
Jamaica, VT 05343 Phone: 802-874-4366
E-mail: KJo671@yahoo.com
Asst. Director-in-chief: Vance Sele 314 NW Treglown Ct. Hillsboro OR 97124
Phone: (503) 866-9692 E-mail: vks@comcast.net
DIVISION PRESIDENTS (2010-2014)
Eastern: Ellen Svengalis 204 Wyassup Rd.
No. Stonington, CT 06359 Phone: (860) 535-0362
E-mail: esven@comcast.net
Central: David Winter 3550 N. Lake Shore #1004
Chicago, IL 60657 Phone: (773) 549-1678
E-mail: dgwinter@hotmail.com
Western: Karen Jones 2521 S. W. Bertha Boulevard
Portland, OR 97201 Phone: (503) 244-1469
E-mail: kkj.jones@gmail.com
OTHER OFFICES Website Coordinator:
Ellen Svengalis 204 Wyassup Rd.
No. Stonington, CT 06359 Phone: (860) 535-0362
E-mail: webmaster@auss.org
Chorus Recruitment Chairman: Carl-Erik Westberg
P. O. Box 178 Londonderry, VT 05148 Phone: (802) 824-6578 Fax: (802) 824-3358
E-mail: vartland@comcast.net
Membership Directory Coordinator: Kelly Otto
P.O. Box 20835 Portland, OR 97294
Phone: (503) 318-7929 E-mail: ottoks@comcast.net
HONORARY PRESIDENTS, AUSS
Donald Lamont Carl-Erik Westberg
Jody Jones Joseph P. O’Leary
HON. DIRECTORS-IN-CHIEF
Robert Read Arthur W. Elander
Ernest Gunn Jeffrey DeLay
MUSIKTIDNING SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:
Please send material to the Musiktidning Editor. If possible, please
send both stories and photos via E-mail (musiktidning@auss.org)
Material for the June issue is due June 8.
President’s Message Alana Mapes, AUSS President, lubedealer@coho.net
Continued on page 8
This is probably a controversial topic, and I know in ad-
vance not everyone will agree with me. I would just like to
put out some questions, ideas…food for thought. You don’t
have to agree with me, just keep an open mind.
“Who are we, and what is our purpose?”
In Portland, we are the Scandinavian Men’s Chorus, and
Scandia Ladies Chorus. As members of the AUSS, our pur-
pose is to promote Swedish singing in America.
In the past we sang about 50% Swedish, and 50% English
songs, some show tunes, some folk songs, some patriotic. We
worked harder on perfecting the English songs because we
understood the words or the “emotion” of the songs. We did
learn the Swedish ones, but never put the artistic finishes on
them that the English numbers had. We sang at some Scandi-
navian events, but also at retirement
homes. They liked all the numbers,
but of course the “oldies” or familiar
ones were the favorites. Our chorus
membership was going down; younger
people didn’t seem to want to sing
show tunes with people their parent’s
age. Others who just liked to sing
were not sure they wanted to sing in
Swedish. We fought going to all lan-
guage because we feared losing mem-
bers and the audience.
A little over two years ago we made the switch. We went to
all language. Now, we not only sing in Swedish, but in Nor-
wegian, Danish, Finnish and Icelandic. We have been work-
ing on singing better: more warm-ups, singing technique,
breathing, tone, and reading music. Vance told us, “Choirs
grow in numbers when they grow musically.” It is true. All
our music has translations printed so we know what it is
about. We learn the music well before we even begin the
words. Then, sometimes, we take it two words at a time with
one of the native speakers. Our group has grown, there are 60
members on the roster, and an average at practice is about
50. Several of our newest members have come because they
heard us at Scanfair, and wanted to sing in Nordic lan-
guages. Some have looked us up on the web under Commu-
nity Choirs. They chose us over other groups because we sing
in languages they are interested in.
A huge concern when we stopped singing in English was
will our audience go away? It has not, but it has
changed. We have been invited to sing at so many Scandina-
vian events, that singing for a retirement community is ex-
tremely rare. It just seems right that when we are dressed in
May 2014 MUSIKTIDNING page 3 of 8
“Hemlängtan” (Longing for the Old
Country) was the theme of the ASI
Cloudberries’ Spring Concert held Satur-
day evening, April 5 at Pilgrim Lutheran
Church, St. Paul, Minnesota. The open-
ing song was none other than Hälsa dem
därhemma (greet those back home).
This concert marked a special time in
the history of the Cloudberries, that be-
ing the tenth year since the women’s
choir was founded by our current direc-
tor, Carolyn Spargo, and Margareta
Beyer. In 2004, Carolyn Spargo was
volunteering at a Swedish Council of
America (SCA) conference for Elise
Peters who was the executive director of
the SCA. The evening entertainment
was a vocal group called “The Lingon-
berries.” Margareta Beyer was also at
the concert. Margareta and Carolyn
were inspired to start a women's chorus,
and the American Swedish Institute
Cloudberries was formed one month
later. A Swedish women's chorus had
been a long time dream for Carolyn and
the timing was right for a chorus to be-
gin. With the help of the ASI Male Cho-
rus, the ASI Cloudberries joined the
AUSS and attended their first convention
in 2006, in Illinois.
The ASI Cloudberries have continued
to grow in numbers, repertoire, and pro-
gramming. Currently, there are twenty-
one choir members, including our ac-
companists, who are Carolyn Spargo
(piano and accordion) and Frances Olson
(piano and violin). A special tribute of a
bouquet of flowers was presented to
Carolyn to mark the choir’s milestone,
along with some special words and his-
tory of the choir.
One of our members, Margy Sather
Peterson, composed a song set to a poem
by Birger Mörner. A group of the
Cloudberries performed the composition
about “Cloudberries” which was an ap-
propriate theme for the occasion.
The second half of the program was on
a ‘lighter note’ whereby the Cloudberries
donned ABBA-era attire and performed
a medley of ABBA hits. The choir al-
ways enjoys singing ABBA and ‘ad-
libbing’. After the performance, the
Cloudberries served refreshments and
mingled with the guests. All-in-all the
evening was a celebration.
Cloudberries Record CD
After several years of discussion on
recording a Cloudberries CD, the dream
came true on April 11 at McNally Smith
Recording Studio in St. Paul. Arriving at
8:00 a.m. on a cool, sunny, spring morn-
ing, the Cloudberries were ready to re-
cord. A medley of songs performed over
the past ten years are included on the
CD. This event was a first for many of
the choir members and proved to be a
success! The CD will be released in time
for the up-coming AUSS Central Divi-
sion Convention, which will be held in
Minneapolis June 25th thru June 28th.
The Cloudberries chorus is open to
anyone who wants to sing in Swedish.
They meet weekly from September
through May at the American Swedish
Institute on Thursday nights.
- Gloria Rosen and Carolyn Spargo
Cloudberries Celebrate 10th Anniversary
The ASI Cloudberries are dressed for their ABBA songs.
May 2014 MUSIKTIDNING page 4 of 8
Going back to the 1970s, the Eastern
Division has often come to the Green
Mountains of Vermont for a Fall Foliage
weekend.
This year, our division singers and all
AUSS singers are invited to take part in a
gathering on the weekend of September
26-28, 2014, here in Londonderry. It
will be a mini Convention as we need to
conduct Eastern Division business, in-
cluding a delegates’ meeting and elec-
tions. As you know, there will not be a
full division convention this year.
The schedule shapes up as follows:
Friday, September 26:
Evening rehearsal
Saturday, September 27:
9:45 a.m. March in the Peru Fair
parade
10:00 a.m. Rehearse in the Peru Con-
gregational Church
12 noon. Concert at the church
Afternoon: Free time to wander
around the fair, sightsee, shop, or
relax
Dinner in the evening
Sunday, September 28:
9:30 a.m. Sing at Second Congrega-
tional Church in Londonderry, as
part of morning service
Delegate's meeting TBA
Welcome to Vermont Mini-Convention
Plans are under way to select the music
for the 2016 National Convention at the
Central Division Convention this June in
Minneapolis/St. Paul. Some of these
songs will be part of our event.
The weekend will be sponsored by the
Nordic Harmoni Chorus. There will be
wonderful choral music, fun and fellow-
ship, and the Peru Fair, which is one of
the top ten events of the year in the state
of Vermont. It is truly a New England
country fair.
Weekend headquarters will be the Blue
Gentian Lodge, 289 Magic Mountain
Access, Londonderry, VT 05148. They
are on the access road to Magic Moun-
tain. Breakfast is included. Each room
is unique and can be viewed on their
website: www.bluegentian.com. For
reservations, call 802-824-5908 or toll-
free 1-800-456-2405 or e-mail bluegen-
tian@comcast.net.
Välkomna!
- Carl-Erik, President of Nordic Harmoni
Peru Congregational Church, site of the concert
Wall-to-wall people at the Peru Fair, a popular event in Vermont.
Ken Svengalis visits with a llama at the Peru Fair
Old-world Alpine charm in the Blue Gentian dining room.
Mountain view from the Blue Gentian.
The alpine-style Blue Gentian is headquar-ters for the Eastern Division Mini-
Convention
May 2014 MUSIKTIDNING page 5 of 8
Friday evening, May 2nd, was a beauti-
ful evening for the ASI Male Chorus to
gather to celebrate spring with our
Spring Concert at St. Stephen Lutheran
Church in Bloomington, Minnesota.
April had given us much rain, everything
was green, and it was time for flowers
and beautiful song.
The chorus began the evening by re-
hearsing with passion and purpose, and
the auxiliary prepared the cookies and
coffee for after the concert.
This was an evening with three parts.
Part one began with the song Sköna maj,
which welcomes the beautiful month of
May. Then, Modersmålets sång cele-
brates the Swedish language and patriot-
ism. Domaredansen (the Judges’ Dance)
praises dancing, and Swedes do love to
dance. Kristallen den fina describes the
evening as beautiful crystal, and, in Fra-
gancia, Evert Taube celebrates a beauti-
ful Cuban night, and love.
Part two seemed like the Renaissance,
with Swedish, Finnish, and American
songs for dancing and listening played
on nyckelharpas, mandolins and a har-
monium. Tjarnblom, the Scandinavian
String Ensemble, played five tunes: En
kvällsvisa, Gånglåt från Grytby, Le Vals
de L'Isle de Nicollet, Drottningens
marsch, and Fastern brudmarsch.
Part three began with Children of the
Heavenly Father, a Swedish folk tune
especially arranged for the chorus by
Stephen Paulus. That was followed by
How Can I Keep From Singing and Så
lunka vi så Småningom. The African
spiritual, Steal Away, followed. Then,
the inspired song, Song for the Unsung
Hero, thrilled the audience. The chorus
then swayed left and right as the singers
sang the religious song, Soon and Very
Soon. The wonderful evening of song
concluded when the Chorus and Tlarn-
blom sang and played the classic song
about immigrating to America, Hälsa
dem därhemma.
As the audience applauded, the Male
Chorus and Tlarnblom felt that a special
evening of music had taken place, and
everyone then gathered to further cele-
brate with coffee, juice, cookies, and
conversation.
The ASI Male Chorus now looks for-
ward to singing at Midsummer and Sven-
skarnas Dag, followed by the four day
convention where the AUSS Convention
of Midwestern choruses gathers June 25-
28 to celebrate Swedish song with a
Grand Concert on June 27th, followed by
a dinner on June 28th. This will be
hosted by the ASI Male Chorus and
Auxiliary, the St. Paul Swedish Male
Chorus, the female chorus known as the
ASI Cloudberries, and the talented fe-
male group known as Flickorna Fem.
- Richard Sandeen, ASI Male Chorus
ASI Male Chorus Spring Concert
The ASI Male Chorus performing at St. Stephen Lutheran Church, Bloomington, Minnesota. Photo: Judy Gross
May 2014 MUSIKTIDNING page 6 of 8
Choruses in Portland and Seattle make
up the Western Division of the
AUSS. This year, Seattle invited the
Portland Choruses to join them for a Cul-
tural Heritage Concert at the Swedish
Cultural Center in Seattle. Portland
jumped at the opportunity to renew the
tie between the choruses. We decided to
Western Division Mini-Convention Events make it a “Mini Convention,” complete
with a Delegate’s Meeting and Divi-
sional Awards.
The schedule was optional participa-
tion because several cars from Portland
drove up for the practice and concert,
and returned that same day.
For those that had the whole “Weekend
Western Division Delegates gathered
for a delicious breakfast meeting at the
Swedish Cultural Center in Seattle, Sun-
day morning, May 4th. After receiving
plates loaded with Swedish pancakes,
strawberries, lingonberries, whipped
cream, ham and juice, we headed up-
stairs to the Svea Room for our meet-
ing. Before the meeting was officially
called to order, Alana Mapes shared the
background information about how the
Western Division ended up with no ac-
tive officers for a period of time.
Discussion was held, and it was agreed
that the best plan of action to become a
functioning AUSS Division again was to
elect new officers and begin fresh.
At this point, the meeting was offi-
cially called to order by the National
President. A quorum was present. It
was agreed that our last by-laws were so
outdated that they would be used as a
“guideline” for our meeting. We would
not worry about every detail at this
time. New officers were elected and
they are as follows:
President: Kelly Otto of the Portland
Scandinavian Men’s Chorus
Vice President: Dr. John Schilke of the
Portland Scandinavian Men’s Chorus
Secretary: Ute Munger of the Scandia
Ladies’ Chorus of Portland
Treasurer: Lila Otto of the Scandia
Ladies’ Chorus of Portland
During the election, Portland delegates
expressed concern about filling all the
offices. Seattle delegates said they felt
their groups were in a building-up stage
and didn’t feel they could volunteer
members to take on other responsibilities
at this time. They assured the group they
will remain active and participate in
Western Division activities, assuming
more leadership duties in the future.
Our Western Division By-Laws are
terribly out of date. (One example is
that, according to them, we need to hold
a three day convention every four
years.) It was decided that this summer
the executive officers and other inter-
ested volunteers from Seattle and Port-
land will gather at a half-way destination
and spend the day rewriting the By-Laws
for presentation to the groups for ap-
proval.
The meeting was adjourned. All dele-
gates stayed for a relaxed sharing of
ideas on how to continue to work to-
gether, and grow the groups.
Thank you to Seattle for hosting this
meeting.
- Alana Mapes
Western Division Meeting Notes
New Western Division Officers are (left to right): Ute Munger, secretary; John Shilke, vice president; Lila Otto, treasurer; Kelly
Otto, president
Experience,” here is the schedule:
Friday, May 2:
12 noon. Luncheon (Smörgås / Sand-
wiches, etc.) at the Swedish Cul-
tural Center (SCC)
5:00 pm. Happy Hour
6:00 pm. Dinner (Swedish meatballs,
and other entrees)
Saturday, May 3:
12 noon. Practice for the mass num-
bers at the SCC.
2:00 pm. Concert at the SCC, $10
donation requested
Light snacks after the concert.
Sunday, May 4:
Swedish pancake breakfast at the
SCC, with all the trimmings
Delegates held a (Swedish Pancake)
breakfast meeting to elect officers
and conduct division business. The
Western Division picked up the
breakfast costs for delegates.
Both Portland and Seattle feel this is
the first step toward becoming an active
division again.
- Alana Mapes, Scandia Ladies Chorus
May 2014 MUSIKTIDNING page 7 of 8
At the Delegate’s Meeting in Seattle,
outstanding Seattle chorus members re-
ceived awards that will be presented at
their potluck later in the month. The
honorees are as follows:
50 year pin:
Elna Person Ryan: Joined the Swed-
ish Women’s Chorus over 63 years ago
as one of the original singers in
1951. Elna began as a second soprano
but eventually moved to alto. She knows
all of the Swedish music by heart, both
lyrics and melodies. Elna continued to
sing while dancing with the Skandia
Folkdancers, raising 4 children, tending
to an ill husband, and working in nursing
homes. She is an optimistic and amazing
woman.
25 year pins:
Lena Hauser: Has sung with the Cho-
rus over 25 years as a soprano. She is
the current vice-president and chorus
librarian for many years. Lena is the go-
to singer for Swedish pronunciation and
advice on Swedish seasonal music. She
knows how to set up a venue for our pro-
grams and recruit members to do the
work. She is a treasured member of the
chorus.
Janat Tofting: Has been a soprano
with the chorus for over 25 years. She
was the treasurer for 8 years. Janet
pitches in to help with any task and is a
real team player. She is a fantastic cook,
very practical but knows how to have a
good time. She makes every event
“happy!”
Erland G. Levine Award:
Kristine Leander: Kristine is the ex-
ecutive director of the Seattle Swedish
Club, and has been a strong supporter of
both the Swedish Women’s Chorus and
SVEA. Kristine provided healthy grants
to both choruses from the Jane Isakson
Lea Foundation. The grants have funded
additional opportunities for outreach to
new members. She has assisted with
fundraising strategies and generously
allowed the choruses use of the Swedish
Club facilities for various programs.
Merit Awards:
Marta Schee: Marta is the President
of the Swedish Women’s Chorus, and
the organizer of the Heritage Concerts
held in Seattle for the last two
years. Marta will be attending the Min-
neapolis convention this year.
Mary Hillman: Mary is the secretary
for the Seattle Swedish Women’s Cho-
rus, and a frequent contributor to Musik-
tidning. Both Mary and her husband
Mark (who sings with SVEA and the
Finnish chorus) are very active in all
aspects of their choruses.
Geri Damm: Although Geri has been
tending to an extremely ill husband this
year, she has maintained ties with the
chorus. Because of her past contribu-
tions to the Seattle Swedish Women’s
Chorus she has been chosen to receive
AUSS Awards
for Seattle
Group
this award.
Lena Hauser: The write-up about
Lena’s contributions to the chorus is
mentioned above.
Portland will be presenting their
awards at a later date.
- Alana Mapes
Above: the Finnish chorus performs. Below: the Portland choruses sing.
More from the Heritage Choir Festival
E. SvengalisE. SvengalisE. Svengalis
May 2014 MUSIKTIDNING page 8 of 8
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Scandinavian attire for a concert, that we
should be singing Scandinavian mu-
sic. It fits.
Was the change hard? A little, at
first. Did people complain? Of course,
but not all. Are the complainers still
singing with us? Yes, and they have
changed their minds and now are per-
fectly happy to sing in languages. So,
give the Swedish music a chance. The
songs are so artistic, beautiful, and
fun….enjoy them.
- Alana
Presidents... Continued from page 2
The Nordic Lodge # 708 in Atlanta,
GA, invites everyone to participate in its
popular Swedish Style Schnapps Song
contest. It will now happen for the
fourth consecutive year and is open to
anyone who lives in the United States or
Canada. Last year’s winner was Thomas
Martin of Wheeling, Illinois.
The winners will be announced and the
winning schnapps songs performed by
Vasa Drängar at the meeting on Sunday
September 28th, 2014, at St. Luke Lu-
theran Church, 3264 Northside Parkway,
Atlanta, GA 30327. The event will start
at 5:30 pm.
Here are the rules:
* Write a Swedish Style Schnapps
Song, but it must be in English.
* Theme: No theme this year.
* You are welcome to provide more
than one entry.
* These are the requirements for a
good Swedish schnapps song:
1. It must be written to a well-known
melody so that everyone can sing along,
Swedes as well as Americans.
2. It must be short. Four lines are per-
fect, eight lines are OK, more than that is
not good.
3. It should be about schnapps or at
least somewhat related to the drinking a
schnapps. Don’t write about whiskey,
beer or wine!
4. The lines should be put into rhyme.
The winners of the first and second
prize will each get a bottle of Swedish
vodka – or, if the winners are unable to
attend this event on September 28th,
each will get a check for $25.00.
The judges will be Vasa Drängar mem-
bers Jay Lutz and Göran Rygert.
Entries must be received by Friday
September 19th, 2014.
DO THIS:
Put your entry – NOT your name on
that sheet! – in an envelope without the
sender’s name, and send it to Jan Rygert,
4390 Ivywood Dr NE, Marietta, GA
30062. Include a smaller envelope in-
cluding the title of the song outside and
your name and address inside.
Now, sharpen your pencil and write
some words to a well-known melody.
Remember that sometimes simple is bet-
ter!
Don't wait! Good luck!
- Göran Rygert, Vasa Drängar, Atlanta
Schnapps Song Contest
by Vasa Drängar, Atlanta
Wayne Robert Nixon, a former mem-
ber of the Waukegan Swedish Glee Club
and the Suncoast Swedish Veterans Cho-
rus, died on June 5, 2013, at his home in
Bonita Springs, FL.
Born in Chicago on April 5, 1932,
Wayne earned the rank of Eagle Scout in
his youth, and received a BS in Mechani-
cal Engineering from University of Illi-
nois. He proudly served in the United
States Army, after
which he spent his ca-
reer as an R & D Engi-
neer specializing in
packaging design.
Later, he owned a
woodworking business.
Wayne was a member
of the Independent Or-
der of Svithiod, Lodge #1. He also en-
joyed sailing, golfing, biking, and travel-
ing.
He is survived by his wife of five
years, Alma, two daughters, two grand-
children, a sister and brother, and many
nieces and nephews. He was prede-
ceased by his wife of 50 years, Lorraine,
with whom he toured Sweden in 1999
with the AUSS.
A Memorial Service was held on June
9, 2013 at Gulf Coast Church of Christ,
Fort Myers, FL. Sov i ro.
WAYNE NIXON 1932 - 2013
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