Joceile Nordwall, a lifelong dancer, loving Navy wife, mother of three sons, and grandmother to seven died of brain cancer on May 24, 2016.
Born in Denver, July 12, 1937, she was preceded in death by her parents, Dr. Gatewood and Maxine Milligan, in-laws David and Lois Nordwall and sons Eric and Paul. She studied dance and Spanish at Colorado College, graduated Phi Beta Kappa and was a lead dancer in the schools ballet. She married high school classmate Bruce Nordwall, who had just graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy. His career as a Navy carrier pilot led to 10 moves in the following 26 years as they raised three boys and ended in Alexandria.
Trained as a classical ballerina, she pursued her love of dance by teaching ballet to children and adults, and also embracing sacred dance. She introduced sacred dance to a number of congregations using dance to express God’s love for people, and the people's response to God through the joys and trials of life. As more churches formed sacred dance groups,
Joceile led collaborations that increased the acceptance and quality of dance in worship. She served as president of the Potomac Chapter of Sacred Dance for four years.
A memorial service will be held at 103:0 a.m. Saturday, July 30, at Mount Vernon United Methodist Church, 2006 Belle View Blvd, Alexandria.