Ira Zuckerman, Copy Editor
Originally published June 13, 2013
The massive ceremonial boat symbolizing history teacher John Nygaard’s last journey burns at Golden Gardens park. Nygaard passed away last November and several staff felt that Nygaard would have enjoyed a viking funeral.
As the Norwegian Independence Day, or Syttende Mai, parade winded down after hours and hours of marching through the streets of Ballard, hundreds of people were not finished with the event. At Golden Gardens, a fire was burning away the remains of history teacher John Nygaard, who passed away last November with heart complications.
A conversation between nurse Meg Wakeman and Nygaard inspired maritime teacher John Foster and shop teacher Jay Volk to begin to organize the construction of a boat to carry the remains and mementos of Nygaard in time for the parade on May 17.
Wakeman and Nygaard exchanged emails regarding viking funerals mere weeks before his passing. “You won’t be needing one of those until you’re an old viking,” Wakeman said. Sadly, he would be getting one much sooner than expected.
“The parade was huge deal to him,” Foster said. “This was bigger than Christmas, it was bigger than birthdays, we needed to give him a chance to be in the parade one last time.”
Juniors and seniors in Foster’s maritime classes were given the boat as a project. Most were eager to complete it, as the maritime academy put them in Nygaard’s history classes as underclassmen.
Those who had classes with him have very fond memories, and current students, as well as alumni, staff, friends, and family were all there to see his spiritual departure. “It was very emotional and somber,” senior and former student of Nygaard’s, Jeremiah Storie said.
The boat required many months of work. On one side, shields were etched with viking symbols such as a fish and a boat; on the other, some of Nygaard’s treasured passions such as a Ballard Beaver, a basketball, and an AC/DC logo. Items arranged on the inside of the boat included a piece of an Alaskan nautical chart, a maritime navigation tool called a quadrant, which is made by students in his class, and other sentimental shards of his life.
While students marched on market carrying the heavy vessel, other students were securing a fire pit at Golden Gardens. By 8:30 p.m., well over 100 people had gathered to see Nygaard’s last pyre.
As the sky began to darken, a bit of rum and whiskey was poured on the boat to help the fire grow and to act as an offering. Foster and a few others close to Nygaard said a few words before the fire was lit.
“There was about 15-20 minutes where no one said anything and we just watched the fire,” said Foster. “It was cathartic watching the boat and his remains go back to the soil.”
Foster also read “A Viking’s Prayer,” a piece of Norse scripture which tells that death is not an end.
“I think Nygaard is having a good celestial laugh right now,” Wakeman said.
