Narda's life was marked by a series of significant events that shaped her journey, beginning with her childhood in Bonn, Germany, where she befriended Robert I. McCarthy, an anti-aircraft battalion commander, when she was just 11 years old and working as a laundress for his unit.
As the Second World War raged on, Narda's life took a dramatic turn in 1944, when she began working as a child actress in Estonia. However, the advancing Russian forces forced her and her family, including her grandparents, mother, and 2-year-old brother, to flee their homeland and set sail for Sweden.
Their journey was fraught with danger, as they were initially picked up by German forces and taken to Danzig, where they struggled to adapt to the local culture. Fortunately, their fluency in German allowed them to blend in with the locals, and they eventually made their way to the American-occupied forces in Bonn, seeking refuge with the Swedish Red Cross.
The Onyx family eventually settled in Sweden, where Narda resumed her acting career, traveling to England to work with the prestigious Old Vic Company. Her subsequent move to Canada marked a new chapter in her life, as she appeared in over 70 television shows and eventually became a naturalized American citizen on October 20, 1961.
It was during this time in Canada that Narda met and married George Virand, another Estonian refugee, and the couple relocated to Hollywood, California, where they built a life together.
