GLENS FALLS --- Erma Lucille (Lafayette) Nordquist (89) passed away peacefully of natural causes on March 14, 2014 in one of her favorite places on earth, The Yoga Room. Erma is survived by:   her beloved husband of almost 63 years H. Dean Nordquist, her children Kathy J Todd of Saint Augustine Fl., Peter Nordquist (Ikuko) of Glens Falls, Carol Montanye of Glens Falls, Susan Nordquist (Michael Taylor) of Salem, NY, her grandchildren Cory Christine Todd Marchesiello (Dominick) of Saratoga, Alexander Todd (Caitlin Brennen) of Ballston Spa, Sarah, Won Suh, and Sun Yeh Nordquist of Glens Falls, Joseph Montanye of Albany, Laura Montanye of Glens Falls, Maria Montanye of Big Sky, Montana, Jesse Montanye of Glens Falls and five great grandchildren Juliana and Bianca Marchesiello, Teigen Brennen, Oliver Todd and Orion Dean Havens.

Erma was the daughter of Lucy Elizabeth Ide Lafayette and Walter Scott Lafayette and she was "number six of eight" siblings as she said many times. She is survived by her older sister Ruth Keddell (93) (Bob) of Naples, Florida and predeceased by her other siblings in this order Eleanor Rogers, Harold Lafayette, Marguerite Miller, Marie Snyder, Betty Avery and William Lafayette. She is also survived by numerous nieces and nephews.

Born in Glens Falls on September 26, 1924 Erma lived there until she was nine years old. She attended Broad Street Elementary School until her family moved to Herkimer, NY where Erma graduated from high school in 1942.   After high school, Erma worked at the Standard Furniture Store in Herkimer and often told the story that it was after she saw a matronly "old maid" with high button shoes who had worked in the store her whole life, that she decided a change was in order and she moved to Schenectady, with her younger sister Marge. Once in Schenectady Erma got a job as a personal assistant (Stenographer) to a group of "very bright" engineers at General Electric who were then working on a project related to the ending of WWII. During this time Erma became very active in the Baptist Church, and attended their church camp, Pathfinder in Cooperstown, NY…. and the rest is history. While at Pathfinder, Erma met a very handsome, persistent suitor named Dean Nordquist. Erma liked to tell the story that when camp was over Dean had said that he "might write" and that she actually ended up getting more than one letter a day on many occasions. Dean soon started hitchhiking to Schenectady from his home near Watkins Glen, NY and they were married at Pathfinder on June 16, 1951 before Dean went to serve in Korea.

Erma and Dean moved to South Glens Falls in 1956 with their three oldest children and then to the family home on Knight St in Glens Falls in 1959, where their youngest daughter was born.   Erma often recounted stories of her early days as a mother with four kids and just one car, of course the doctor came to the home when the kids were sick in those days. Erma was an active member of the First Baptist Church of Glens Falls for many years and was instrumental in starting their nursery school which today is known as the Early Learning Center on Maple Street. During the early 1960's Erma became involved in the Civil Rights Movement. She was active in the NAACP and did work for the fair housing commission.   Erma recalled that the Fair Housing Commission would investigate local rental practices by sending a white couple as prospective renters and if the property was available they would then send a mixed race couple (one of them Erma) and oftentimes the landlord would say that the property was already rented. Erma and Dean hosted a number of children from the Fresh Air Fund over the years and one year had 4 children from the same family.

It was about this time that Erma began taking yoga classes in Albany with her sister Betty. Erma often told the story of her " ah ha" moment when she said to herself " I would love to teach yoga". She began teaching her first classes at the Glens Falls YMCA in 1969. She found the Y to be too noisy for her taste and moved her classes to the Nelson Street Grange. The Grange was not what she had in mind either and in 1972 Dean with some help from son Peter built a large room onto the back of the house and Erma called it The Yoga Room. Erma taught hundreds of classes to hundreds of students over the years until she stopped teaching at the age of 77.   One of her students puts it like this: " I first encountered Erma thru her daughter who was visiting me while I was literally laid up following a lower back injury. Erma's daughter shared my story with her mom, and Erma, in the yogic tradition sent me a series of lower back exercises that I could do from my bed.. In three days my pain subsided and I became a student of Erma's. She planted a seed that wrapped its way thru my life and when I retired I too went to yoga school completing the circle as I began to teach yoga".

The family would like to extend heartfelt thanks to the following: Warren County Public Health, the nurses on T3, PA Kelly, case manager Donna and Dr. William Bauer of Glens Falls Hospital, as well as Beth and the nurses from High Peaks Hospice. In lieu of flowers, donations to the local chapter of the NAACP, Saint Jude's Children's Hospital or High Peaks Hospice are suggested.

Friends are encouraged to bring a written memory to share in Erma's Memory Box.

Calling hours will be held at the Maynard D. Baker Funeral Home at 11 Lafayette St., Queensbury, from 5-8pm on Monday, March 24, 2014.

Condolences may be mailed to Maynard D. Baker Funeral Home, 11 Lafayette St., Queensbury, NY 12804, or e-mailed through www.bakerfuneralhome.com.