Grada Jonassen

Grada Maria Teresita Jonassen, age 86, passed away peacefully on Sunday, June 19, 2016, in Orlando, Florida. Grada was born in Willemstad, Curaçao, on September 13, 1929. She was the daughter of Wilhelmus Johannes Reinirus van den Beld and Aloisa Josefa Clarita van den Beld (Palm). She lost her father when she was only two years old but had an abiding love for him. She kept a portrait of him her entire life, and it was hung on a wall by her bedside when she passed away. She was the dear sister of the late Azucena Mead, the late Edgar van den Beld, and Wilhelmina Staarthof. Grada was the wife of John Frederick Jonassen for nearly fifty years until his death in 1999. She was the beloved mother of four sons: Frederick Berenthin Jonassen, Gerald William Jonassen, Ralph Mitchell Jonassen, and Anthony Christopher Jonassen. And she was the dear mother-in-law of Carmen Jonassen and Rachael Jonassen.
Grada's passion from an early age was singing, and over the years she built up a repertoire of countless songs from all over the world-songs from her native Curaçao, classics such as Schubert's Ave Maria, and American standards such as I Could Have Danced All Night. She excelled at her studies and by the time she graduated from high school spoke (and sang in) five languages. She had also blossomed into a beautiful young woman. She worked as a secretary for KLM (Royal Dutch Airlines) in Curaçao.
Grada's life soon took a turn. She planned to take a vacation in New York City. Her family knew of a respectable young man, John, who had made the move from Curaçao to New York fifteen years earlier and asked him to show her around the city. Needless to say, he was smitten with her from that first date, which featured a ride on the roller coaster at Coney Island. The young couple corresponded after Grada's return to Curaçao, John traveled there to ask her mother for her hand in marriage, and John and Grada soon tied the knot. They settled in a home on Carroll Street in Brooklyn. Grada, given her secretarial and linguistic skills, landed a job at a Dutch import-export firm and found herself transitioning from a small island in the Caribbean to an upper floor of the 57-story Woolworth Building.
Once John had established himself in his career as a professional engineer, the couple turned to raising a family, and Grada became a devoted mother and housewife. Between 1953 and 1957, three sons arrived-Fred, Jerry, and Ralph-and the growing family moved to larger quarters on East 29th Street. Childhood in the Jonassen household in those days was idyllic-playing ball in the driveway, roughhousing in the snow, and doing what all kids in Brooklyn do-playing in the street.
The family celebrated the holidays with Grada's singing filling the background. Thanksgivings were memorable. John and Grada would invite their best friends, Jess and Gertrude, to Thanksgiving dinner. For the children, the night before was exciting, anticipating the delicious turkey meal (with Grada's famous stuffing and sweet potatoes). Of course, the meals were good year round when Grada cooked-a favorite meal was an Indonesian specialty nasi goring, a recipe she has passed on to her children.
In summer 1966, the Jonassens took a car trip to St. Petersburg to visit Grada's sister Azucena and her family. The boys had a great time fishing and swimming. On the return to Brooklyn, Grada found out that she was pregnant with her fourth child. In 1967, she fulfilled her third son Ralph's dream of having a little brother, by giving birth to Anthony. A few years later, the family moved to East 26th Street. In a few years, Grada reentered the workforce. Given the necessity of minding Anthony, she worked evenings as a typist, which made for an extraordinarily grueling schedule. But her hard work paid off as it enabled the family to move to a beautiful home on Marlborough Road.
Despite the hectic schedule, Grada made time to be there for all the family's special events-graduations, Anthony's piano concerts, and Jerry's concerts at Nazareth High School-and to raise her sons to become upstanding young men. These efforts were rewarded as all her children successfully completed high school and achieved distinction in college. Every Christmas, the family gathered around the tree to sing Christmas carols with Fred or Anthony at the piano. As her sons grew older, Grada was able to switch to a saner work schedule. She quickly rose to the position of legal secretary at Irving Trust. As her three oldest children stepped out into the "real world," Grada was there to support them-Fred went off to graduate school and then a teaching career in Puerto Rico, Jerry launched a successful career in computers, and Ralph settled in Washington DC working for the federal government. Meanwhile, Anthony graduated with honors from Boston University and went on to Columbia medical school.
Both John and Grada attended a milestone event in 1990-Fred's marriage to Carmen Antomarchi, his colleague in the English department at the University of Mayagé�ez. John and Grada thoroughly enjoyed the occasion and the hospitality of the Antomarchi-Perez family. In a few years, Grada decided to leave her last professional job-legal secretary at Amro Bank-and join John in retirement. An emptying nest and a big house can mean only one thing-John and Grada made one more move, to East 53rd Street.
Tragedy struck in the mid-1990s as John began to suffer signs of Alzheimer's disease. No husband could expect more than the heroic efforts Grada exerted to take care of him at home. When John's symptoms became so severe that he needed to move to an elder care facility, Grada visited him every day. John died at the dawn of the new century almost reaching his eightieth birthday.
A blessing that occurred shortly after was Jerry's decision to move back in with Grada. For the next ten years, he was a devoted son, caring for Grada as she grew frailer, while Grada cared for Jerry as he dealt with serious heart problems. They enjoyed each other's company, going out to dinner, shopping together, and attending cultural events. Jerry worked at the World Trade Center, and his brothers vividly remember calling Grada on the morning of September 11, 2001 and discovering that Jerry was on jury duty that day. Meanwhile, Fred looked for new fields to conquer and became an attorney. He and Carmen settled in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where Grada visited them shortly after 9/11. Grada celebrated her 75th birthday at a nice restaurant in New Jersey, with family and a good friend of the family, Josette.
The next milestone occurred in 2005, when Ralph married Rachael Craig, professor of geosciences at Kent State University. Grada came down with Jerry to Alexandria, Virginia, to attend the wedding and turned out to be the star. During the reception, Ralph announced that Grada would sing. Grada, who had lost her singing voice years before, pointed to her throat to let her wacky son know that this would not be possible. But at that moment, the DJ played a recording from the 1970s of Grada singing Granada. The performance was stunning. As it ended with a vibrant "Olé," the assembled guests burst out in applause. Grada rose with a broad smile-no tears, no hesitation-and took an elegant bow.
In the following years, Grada's health began to deteriorate. Jerry saw her through a stroke, a lung operation, back surgery, and countless falls. He handled every emergency flawlessly. Somehow, Grada came through without suffering severe damage. But the trend was clear. Eventually, the family decided that it would be best for her to leave Brooklyn. Fortuitously, Fred and Carmen had moved to Orlando, where Fred had obtained a position as a law professor. Grada joined them. Initially, Grada lived with Fred and Carmen, who generously opened their home to her and attended to all her mounting health needs-including the tragic onset of the same scourge that had hit John, Alzheimer's disease.
In 2013, Grada decided to move to an assisted care facility. For the next three years, she enjoyed the warmth and comfort of Orlando Lutheran Towers. Fred and Carmen continued to devote meticulous attention to her care, took her out for meals at least a couple of times a week, and ensured that she was happy and comfortable. No one could ask more of a son and a daughter-in-law. The family would gather in Orlando every year on Grada's birthday and Christmas. Where Mom is, that's where home is. Despite the Alzheimer's, we saw many flashes of the old Grada and savored every moment with her.
The family gathered last week to be with her for her final days. We played recordings of her singing as we held her hand and told her how much we loved her. She showed her love through her still expressive eyes. At times, she stared intently at the portrait of her father, as if to say, "I'm coming home to you, Tati." Ironically and appropriately, the end came on Father's Day.

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