Huntsville bids adieu to Stina Nyquist: playwright, community supporter and mom

Sadly, the final curtain has fallen on one of Huntsville’s great personalities: community supporter and playwright, Stina Nyquist.

Stina died on Tuesday, June 14 at the age of 91.

Many in the community came to know Stina through her original plays, often based on historical fiction and depicting pioneer life in Muskoka. Familiar titles such as The Shantyman’s Daughter, At Three Mile Lake, The Strawberries Came at Haying Time, Letters from the Bush, Ripples in the Bush, The Lost Chord, Homeboy, Madam Candidate, Dinosaurs and Dreams, and The Elephant’s Nose are sure to elicit fond memories of theatre in the woods at Muskoka Pioneer Village or the impossibly uncomfortable seating in the old Town Hall theatre.

For almost 40 years Stina penned and directed plays that touched people and entertained audiences, young and old, and provided a much-needed artistic outlet for Huntsville’s pool of talented actors.

Stina’s love of theatre started in Finland, where she was born. She received a degree from the Swedish Theatre School in Helsinki at the same time as she obtained a degree in Swedish Literature and Education from the University of Helsinki.

If you think Stina spent all her time with her head in a book, you couldn’t be more wrong. Stina was also a Finnish national tennis champion.

Recognized for her work in theatre, her athleticism, and her intellect, Stina received a scholarship to the University of California (UCLA) where she went on to obtain a Masters’ degree in Theatre Arts.

Because Stina was a tennis star from Finland and an anomaly at UCLA, a California newspaper wrote a story about her that caught the eye of another expatriate living in California. Sven Nyquist, who spoke very little English at the time and was yearning for someone familiar with his homeland, contacted Stina. They started dating and, as they say, the rest was history. Stina and Sven wed in Finland in 1950 and soon found themselves back in California where their two children were born.

In 1968 the family made the bold move to Huntsville when Sven accepted a job as plant manager at the newly opened pipe manufacturing company, Wiik and Hoeglund.

According to Stina’s son, Jan Nyquist, it was the move to Huntsville that gave Stina the opportunity to finally settle in a community after many years of relocating. “They had left their homeland and they had gone to California. In California they were always moving around. Then they finally moved to Huntsville. My Mom and Dad accepted Huntsville and Huntsville accepted them. This became their home.”

It was the stability that Huntsville offered the family that allowed Stina to do more of what she loved. She was an avid cross-country skier, a golfer and a ‘wicked’ tennis player.

There was not a man in Huntsville who could beat her in tennis. If there was one, I didn’t see him.Jan Nyquist

And, of course, it wasn’t long before Stina was looking for an opportunity to bring theatre to the community she called home. One of Stina’s most triumphant moments, as described by long-time friend Pam Smyth, was in receiving the Best Director’s award in the Ontario Amateur Theatre contest for her work on The House of Blue Leaves. The crazy and dark play had an ending Stina just didn’t accept, so she changed it. She changed it significantly. Rather than succumb to craziness and die in the end, Stina showed the protagonist alive, sane and playing the piano. On giving Stina the Best Director’s award the NY theatre adjudicator said Stina showed inventiveness, sensitivity to the text, intelligence, honesty and skill. He praised the change saying ‘it humanized the ending thus improving the play.’ “I never knew how to resolve it,” he said, “and you showed me how.”

Stina never quit writing. In the last couple of years, she had been working on her memoir, which she finished and her family plans to have published.

Those close to Stina describe her as witty, intelligent, energetic and kind. For her son Jan, it was her love for her family that means everything. “I’m a momma’s boy,” he says without embarrassment. “Stina was a very ambitious person. She was also very intelligent, very loving, very giving and very kind. Her knowledge of language, writing, theatre, philosophy and sports made her a great conversationalist. However, her biggest thing, the biggest part about Stina, was she was a mother first. That was her biggest role. She loved her children and extended family beyond belief. It was endless, unconditional love and kindness and it’s what made me who I am.”

Stina leaves behind her daughter Brita Kraljevic (Mijo) and her son Jan Nyquist (Lee Hazelton), her grandchildren Tom Kraljevic, Kristina Arabo (Peter) and Anders Nyquist, and her great grandchildren Adriana, Alexandra and Julian. Stina is predeceased by her husband Sven Nyquist.

There will be a Celebration of Life on Saturday June 18 from 2pm – 4pm at Partners Hall, Huntsville Town Hall. Remembrances will start at 3.

In lieu of flowers the family asks that you consider a donation to Algonquin Grace Huntsville Hospice.