Dorothy Nordal, a prolific baker

Although quiet, Dorothy Jane Nordal loved being in the company of others.

When her father, Elias Knutsen, took her to Norway to meet her relatives for the first time, his daughter's sophistication hid her shyness.

"I can just remember how impressed I was, because she had silk stockings and shoes with heels," said cousin Eli Kirkpatrick of Seattle. The girls, five years apart, became good friends and remained close their entire lives.

Mrs. Nordal died Monday of complications from Parkinson's disease. She was 75.

Born in Seattle on Aug. 3, 1927, Mrs. Nordal was the only child of Elias, a fisherman, and Ida Knutsen. After her mother died when she was a toddler, Mrs. Nordal lived with friends in Sitka, Alaska; her mother's family in Vancouver, B.C.; and her father's family in Aalesund, Norway, before moving back to Seattle as a young woman.

Through friends, she met Arne Nordal, who emigrated from Norway when he was 16. They married in 1956 in Seattle and had four children.

The Nordal family spent weekends camping near Driftwood Key near Hansville, Kitsap County. They went on picnics, barbecued and played outdoors.

"She always felt good when her family was together," said daughter Leslie McDaniel of Lynnwood.

Mrs. Nordal was quite a cook, and a particularly prolific baker. She turned out batches upon batches of Christmas treats; and, year-round, a hungry visitor could find something freshly baked at the Nordal household in Broadview neighborhood.

Favorite recipes had a shelf life with Mrs. Nordal, who was always adding new recipes to her culinary repertoire. When cooking in her cheery, blue-accented kitchen, she made meals not because they were fast and easy — but because they were different.

"She believed that people need to try new things, even food," McDaniel said.

As a child, Mrs. Nordal learned to sing and play the accordion. She was known to drag often-unenthusiastic friends to performances. She liked to listen to jazz on her stereo from her expansive tape collection.

Well into her 60s, Mrs. Nordal took up ballroom dancing.

"She loved to dance; she thoroughly enjoyed it," Kirkpatrick said. "She was full of music and rhythm."

Mrs. Nordal also is survived by daughter Karen Goodnight of Snohomish; sons Steve Nordal of Edmonds and Mike Nordal of Sammamish; and seven grandchildren.

Her husband preceded her in death.

Services have been held.

Memorials may be sent to Luther Memorial Church, 13047 Greenwood Ave. N., Seattle, WA 98133, or American Parkinson Disease Association, c/o University of Washington, P.O. Box 356465, Seattle, WA 98195-6465.

Sarah Anne Wright: 206-464-2752 or swright@seattletimes.com