For more than 70 years, Alma Sigurdson has been a steadfast presence in her community, giving her time, talents and leadership to countless organizations while quietly shaping life in the Interlake.
Sigurdson, who first joined the Minerva Ladies Aid in 1955, is being honoured for her decades of volunteer service. From leading sewing clubs and Icelandic classes to organizing teas, curling bonspiels and fundraisers, she has lived by a simple philosophy: if there was a need, and she could help, she said yes.
“It just makes me feel good to be doing things to help other people,” Sigurdson said with her characteristic modesty.
The Minerva Ladies Aid is celebrating a milestone this September as Sigurdson marks her 70th year with the organization.
She joined as a young woman shortly after her marriage and never looked back, taking on every role the group had to offer — often more than once. Her fellow members say her longevity and dedication are unmatched.
“Alma has given so generously of her time for seven decades,” said Margaret Kernested, a member of Minerva Ladies Aid. “We are so proud of her accomplishments and the example she sets for all of us.”
The Ladies Aid has long been a cornerstone of rural life, offering help to families in need, providing food for funerals and supporting community events. Sigurdson played a central role in each of those traditions, from serving coffee and Icelandic specialties at the Islendingadagurinn pavilion to helping organize annual teas.
The meetings themselves were as much about fellowship as service, held in members’ homes with each hostess trying to outdo the others’ baking. Husbands would arrive later to collect their wives, often staying for coffee themselves. For Sigurdson, it was all part of the rhythm of community life.
Born Alma Margaret Martin in Hnausa, she grew up in Vidir and began teaching school at just 17. After graduating from Normal School, she taught in Framnes and Gimli before marrying Raymond Sigurdson in 1954. Together, they raised six children at Bergstaðir, just south of Gimli, where service to family and community were deeply interwoven.
She followed her mother’s example by joining the Ladies Aid. That willingness to step forward became a pattern throughout her life. If there was work to be done, Sigurdson was there.
Sigurdson’s contributions stretched far beyond Minerva. She served on the Betel Home Foundation board for nearly 20 years, including as president from 1993 to 1995, a time of major growth with the building of the new Betel Home and the Waterfront Centre. She also spent countless hours volunteering directly with residents, leading knitting and gardening groups, serving coffee, and helping at teas and craft tables.
She and her husband Ray, who served as reeve of Gimli, were at the forefront of centennial celebrations in 1987, helping organize historic re-enactments and fashion shows while hosting dignitaries. As a newly married couple, they founded the Minerva 4-H Club. Sigurdson went on to lead the sewing club for 25 years, shaping the skills of generations of young people.
Her impact extended into schools as well. She taught Icelandic language classes at Gimli Elementary and played a role in establishing the first band program at Gimli School.
Sigurdson also gave her time to Cornerstone Enterprises, the Association for the Mentally Challenged, the Evergreen Festival of the Arts, Gimli’s semi-annual craft sales, and Manitoba Games competitions.
In sport, she curled for four decades and is now a lifetime member of the Gimli Curling Club, having served in executive positions and volunteered at provincial and national competitions.
Sigurdson’s energy extended to health causes. For 16 summers, she cycled 150 kilometres annually as part of the Biking Vikings team in the MS Bike Tour, raising thousands of dollars as a consistent top fundraiser. She continued to support the Multiple Sclerosis Society by volunteering at golf tournaments each summer, running “Hit a Ball for MS” challenges to bring in more donations.
Deeply proud of her heritage, Sigurdson has also been central to Gimli’s Icelandic cultural life. She taught language classes, prepared vinarterta and pönnukökur for festival kitchens, and, alongside her husband, hosted Icelandic flag-raising ceremonies for years at their homes in Camp Morton and later Willow Creek.
In 2008, she was chosen as the Fjallkona — the Icelandic Festival’s Lady of the Mountain — a role recognizing her dignity, community leadership and lifelong devotion to her roots.
“She has the dignity and manner so symbolic of the Fjallkona,” wrote her friend and fellow volunteer Johanna Wilson in her nomination letter. “She would bring to the position a graciousness and demeanour as befits the role.”
The following year, she and her daughter Sandra created and donated a new cape and veil for the Fjallkona, a gesture that reflected both her Icelandic pride and her generosity.
From sewing curtains for Minerva Hall’s stage to welcoming exchange students into her home, Sigurdson’s volunteerism has always been hands-on. She rarely gave advice, her family recalls, preferring instead to lead quietly by example — offering her skills, her time and her warm hospitality wherever they were needed.
Her influence is stitched into the fabric of Gimli, in knitted Icelandic sweaters, in community halls still standing, and in generations of youth shaped by her leadership.
Today, Sigurdson and her husband Raymond reside at Stefanson Hus in Gimli, where she remains an active and engaged member of the community.
For friends, family and fellow volunteers, Sigurdson’s legacy is defined not only by the length of her service but by the spirit in which she has given it.
“Alma’s story is about commitment, compassion and community,” Kernested said. “She inspires us all to give back in whatever way we can.”
