Inga Solonevich

Inga Solonevich passed away, peacefully in her bed, on February 10, 2012, nine years after her beloved husband George. They were married for 65 years. She was preceded in death by her parents, Annie Theodora Nystrom and Arthur Donner, her sisters, Gunnel and Karin, and her brother, Andreas. She is survived by her son, Michael and his partner, Christa Wolfe, of Germany; her daughter, Ulita and "son-in-love", Earl (Skip) Taliaferro, of Roanoke; as well as her granddaughters and their husbands, Decca and Brian Knight, of Roanoke, Cameron Shar and Kris Piemonte, of Baltimore, Md.; and her great-grandson, Sullivan Knight. Her sister, Anita Zilliacus, 101 years of age, and sister-in-law, Mona Donner, live in Finland; as well as many beloved nieces and nephews the world over. Inga was born in Finland in 1915, where she went to the Art Antheneum in Helsinki. There she met George and, by her account, spent the next 65 years never having a dull moment. Her first commission was to paint the 250 birds and 60 mammals of Finland which took over two years to complete. Throughout her life, she produced extraordinary sculptures, paintings and even wrote two books, all being created from a life few have ever known. Inga and George were caught in the grips of World War II in Nazi Germany, then under Peron in Argentina, before they came to New York as refugees with Mike and Ulita on a coffee freighter. Their first home became the Tolstoy Farm, a Russian enclave, outside the city. One of her first commissions in America was to paint the Duke and Duchess of Windsor's treasured pug dogs in the Waldorf Astoria in NYC. Little did she know that it was an honor to paint these dogs and never to expect payment. They came to their beautiful mountain top in Roanoke in 1955, where they could find peace and the inspiration to pursue their life's work.
Inga will be sorely missed by ALL her children. Her love, patience, wisdom and unending humor nurtured us all through good times and bad. Everyone who knew her can carry that spirit with them throughout their lives. Look around .... she's here with us.
Thank you to ALL her dear friends who came so often and shared in her life, as she did in theirs. Thank you Nikki Litwiller and Good Samaritan Hospice for the wonderful care and unending love you gave to us. With your support, Inga had the opportunity to live her life to the end on her beloved mountain.
To end in Inga's words, from her book, The Long Trek to Solola,
"Death is a release of all of my life's stored energy. It can't get lost, whether you call it energy or soul or incarnation, if that sounds better. Since I think it would be fun to get my ashes strewn in my own meadow, I probably would return, not as a Maharaja, but as a butter cup and a few grasses, gracefully bending in sun and wind, which suits me just fine."
In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Good Samaritan Hospice. A Celebration of Inga's life will be 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, February 19, 2012, at The Discovery Center at the entrance to Mill Mountain Zoo.