Herman was born to Jonas Bjornsson and Dagbjort Oktavia Bjarnadottir in Iceland in 1925.[3] She grew up in the 1930s,[5] and was raised hearing stories of
Vikings and the
Huldufólk or "Hidden People" of Iceland.[6] During
World War II, she met Rev. Delbert J Herman, an American serviceman who was stationed in
Reykjavík.[3][2] They were married on March 25, 1945.[3] She was the first Icelandic woman to marry an American soldier. They then moved to
Illinois together.[2] When she became a US citizen in 1956, she lost her Icelandic citizenship.[7]
Herman graduated with a degree in
interior design in Chicago, and opened her own design shop. She retired in 2009 and earned a degree from the
Institute of Children's Literature.[8] In 2015, her husband of 70 years died.[1]
Despite suffering from a
stroke in 2016, she remained very active physically, staying fit and traveling.[2] At the age of 91, she co-authored a cookbook of
Icelandic cuisine with her daughter.[11] Along with her daughter, she conducted presentations on Icelandic culture and cooking.[12] She also led
adult education seminars, and has written articles for magazines and newspapers.[10] She was the subject of the 2019
RÚV documentary Aldrei of Seint (Never Too Late).[13][14]
Herman died on October 9, 2019, in
Burlington, Iowa.[3][15] Her Icelandic citizenship had been restored by
Alþingi earlier that year.[7][13] At the time of her death, Herman had 24 great-grandchildren and eight great-great-grandchildren,[3] and had been returning to Iceland annually to share her story and knowledge of
Icelandic history.[4]
Works
Íeda Jónasdóttir Herman (August 24, 2017). Happiness in Living Color. Heidi Herman (Compiler). Hekla Publishing. p. 56.
ISBN978-1947233959.
Herman, Heidi; Herman, Íeda Jónasdóttir (July 19, 2017). Homestyle Icelandic Cooking for American Kitchens. Hekla Publishing. p. 82.
ASINB074412T18.
Íeda Jónasdóttir Herman (April 3, 2017). Viking Kids Don't Cry. Hekla Publishing. p. 152.
ISBN9780998281681.
^"Aldrei of seint" [Never Too Late] (in Icelandic).
RÚV. April 19, 2019. Archived from
the original on October 11, 2019. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
^"Ída Jónasdóttir Herman er látin" [Ida Jónasdóttir Herman is deceased] (in Icelandic).
RÚV. October 10, 2019.
Archived from the original on October 10, 2019. Retrieved October 11, 2019.