From Tim Tegge

Hi Buckles, Barbara, and Friends, It is with great sadness that I inform you of the passing of my mother-in-law, APOLONIA ("MISS LONI") VAN VOORDEN, who died yesterday (Nov 11) afternoon, in Highland, Illinois, from complications following a fall about four weeks ago. Her daughter; my wife, Barbara was by her side when she took her final breath. Born in 1926, MISS LONI was brought to the USA in 1950 by John Ringling North as one of a small handful of European imports for the following two seasons with Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. When Cecil B. DeMille, who was beginning work on his next film, learned that there was a Dutch girl new to the show, he made sure that she would be seen a few times throughout portions of his forthcoming, The Greatest Show On Earth. Loni is also featured in Billy Rose's JUMBO, with Doris Day, in the elaborate musical production "Over and Over Again." MISS LONI appeared on many different circuses in the U.S. over the decades, including Polack Bros., Hubert Castle, Circus Vargas, and even my family's show, TNT & Royal Olympic. In addition, she was a featured show room act in Las Vegas, in the early 1960's, sharing the bill with folks like Liberace, Charles Aznavour, Tempest Storm, etc. She worked with Harold Minskey on a late 60's revival of his celebrated burlesque revue; played all of the major hotel show rooms in Chicago, such as the Chez Paree, Palmer House, etc., and appeared numerous time on various television shows over the years, as well. LONI was a consummate performer. When she worked for my dad, filling in for Barbara, who was away, in Europe, with the Globetrotters for a brief stretch during our 1980 tour, I never tired of watching her work. I was playing drums on our show at the time, and was always so impressed at the fact that, whenever she styled after each routine--and every style was choreographed completely differently, by the way--she would also style to the bandstand with appreciation...that is pure "class," and nobody had it like Loni! She is already very much missed. Timothy Tegge