You may have noticed that the world is a little colder and darker recently.  This may be because my mother, Margaret Nordstog, passed away peacefully on April 5th.  My mother had a singular approach to life’s obstacles.  She won. The obstacles lost, but not on April 5th.

My mother loved, and was loved by many.  She taught her children well.  Having raised my own children, and understanding how hard that can be, I am grateful for her efforts.  My mother had another family, too.  As a figure skater, skating judge and mentor to hundreds of young skaters, she nurtured and raised the sport she loved.

Let me honor her and her accomplishments here.

Margaret was born in Superior Wisconsin on December 19th, 1927, to John and Henrietta Grant. The family moved to St. Paul, MN in the early 1930‘s, buying a house in Highland Park in St. Paul when it was on the outskirts of town.

My mother showed early talent in figure skating, entering her first competition in 1939 at age 12. By 1943 she had passed every test available, earning a Gold Medal from the U.S. Figure Skating Association. (One of the first 32 skaters ever to do so.)  In 1945 she placed 4th at the North American Figure Skating Championship (U.S. & Canada.)

She began skating in the St. Paul Summer Pops programs as a teenager, and continued performing with them for a number of years. She also attended the U of M, where she studied Zoology and Education. There she met her first husband, Al Lee and had two children, Anne and me.  Divorced from Al in 1956, Mom moved back into her parents’ house in St. Paul, and supported her family by teaching elementary school – while continuing to skate in the Summer Pops.

It was through mutual skating friends that Margaret met my stepfather, Bud Nordstog. They were married in 1964 and soon welcomed sons Douglas and Bruce. We moved to Edina in 1968.

Figure skating remained Margaret’s lifelong avocation and she had many dear friends in the skating community.  Her skating skills and a desire to promote her sport led her to become a figure skating judge, which she continued to do for the next 50 years.  Whenever I meet skaters, I ask if they know my mother.  I seldom meet a skater who does not know who she was, and many remember her fondly as a tough, but fair judge.  She and Bud skated together daily, right up through her 80th birthday.

Margaret also remained active in elementary education, assisting at Creek Valley Elementary school in Edina. There she joined a circle of coworkers who remained good friends for the rest of her life.

My mother tried her hand at a wide variety of useful hobbies. Her sewing, knitting and pottery-making provided useful and beautiful items. One of her more unusual hobbies was delivering newspapers. She took over the Star-Trib route from my brother Bruce in 1983 and continued weekday deliveries for decades, retiring a few days before her 80th birthday.

In retirement, another favorite hobby was traveling the world with Bud. From Nepal to Africa to Thailand to the Galapagos, they made the most of every adventure, riding on everything from camels to elephants to the Orient Express.

For my mother’s 80th birthday, we threw a party, and invited many of her friends, including quite a few skating friends that I had never met.  She had been judging figure skating just about every weekend since I was about 2 years old, but I had had precious little contact with her skating friends.  The party gave me a glimpse into that world, and I was touched and impressed with the kindness, generosity, and graciousness of those friends. Those friends frequently reminded me about my mother’s role as a mentor and role model to young skaters.  Her grace on the ice was mirrored in the way she aged.

I will miss my mother.  She was a lady of grace, intelligence and strength.  She taught me to value the truth, and the appropriate approach to obstacles.  May she rest in peace.