I knew Norm Wade pretty well at high school – he was a quiet guy but interesting in his own way with a really dry sense of humour. We were in Air Cadets together and four of us car-pooled from uphill to LVR, Norm being the first to have a licence, and yes, he really loved his old junkers. Norm’s sense of humour extended to life in general; for example in the dead of winter, he would arrive in his old Austin, nearly always a little late from being unable to get up the hills with bald tires, with only a tiny rectangle scraped clear in the frozen windshield and we would set off in a cacoon of frosted windows and cigarette smoke - Norm peering thru his peephole and the rest of us unable to see anything until just before we arrived at LVR when a bit of the windshield would start to thaw. But we made it every time!
Norm worked on the ambulance run and later at the funeral home and I expected him to follow into the undertaking trade, as he always looked so serious, but apparently he became an environmentalist instead. RIP Norm.
I knew Norman from the time they moved into the house across from Barretts and Leinwebers. At the time we lived in the Thompson Funeral home which my dad owned as partner. How did Norm die-----I would appreciate if somebody would tell me. He and i were great friends until I left for the Marines in '69 and then we went separate ways I guess. He had the largest paper route in Nelson for the Daily News. He covered all of Baker while my route covered all of Vernon and ended at then the Motion House. We always got done by 6;30 or 7 AM and then we'd meet at the Diamond Grill and have a doughnut and coke and shoot the breeze with Fred Wah who owned the place. Beryl Smith's dad was circulation manager at the time and a good guy to report to as we required a lot of patience being the young fools we were.
Norm's dad served in the air force so that's where he got that calling. His avid love for cars also came from his dad who was always tinkering with them and fixing them up. I remember many days with him and Norm plying a wrench here and a screw driver there. Norm was not a sports enthusiast but he sure knew mechanical things. His mom and sister, Patsy, were fine people too. Just down to earth,hard working people.
This is the first I've known Norm was gone. These few memories stated here have brought back a host of memories and good times had in our youth. I too worked at the funeral home and drove ambulance for several years before going on to summer work at CPR in 66-69. The TOO SOON death of a good friend is hard to take. I have said before on other comments that I am appalled at the losses taken by our 3 years of reunion grads thus far. Looks like nearly 20% already. I have seen more death in my life than probably 100 other men combined ever see in theirs. I have seen it on the roads of British Columbia, natural deaths, and in the fields of Vietnam in 70-71 as an infantryman and other places but it is never easy to accept a life ended far too soon.
In the words of a grizzled old Marine ----Semper Fidelis Norm----Always Faithful. May you have fair winds and following seas forever through eternity.
I agree with you about Norm. I have no idea how he passed but I did want to say that he was a gentle, kind classmate. I take exception to those who call him "different". We are all different, which I think is a good thing. That does not make us lesser persons than anyone else. I, too, am very saddened by how many of our classmates have passed as I still think of myself as young. Starting to get those dreaded grey hairs, though! I find it sad that we didn't cherish each other more when we were young. How I long to have those school days back! Judy Robinson
Mike MacLachlan
Norman was another guy that was a really good guy but a little different. He was into cars and did lots of work on old wrecks.
RIP Norm
Bruce Ford
I knew Norm Wade pretty well at high school – he was a quiet guy but interesting in his own way with a really dry sense of humour. We were in Air Cadets together and four of us car-pooled from uphill to LVR, Norm being the first to have a licence, and yes, he really loved his old junkers. Norm’s sense of humour extended to life in general; for example in the dead of winter, he would arrive in his old Austin, nearly always a little late from being unable to get up the hills with bald tires, with only a tiny rectangle scraped clear in the frozen windshield and we would set off in a cacoon of frosted windows and cigarette smoke - Norm peering thru his peephole and the rest of us unable to see anything until just before we arrived at LVR when a bit of the windshield would start to thaw. But we made it every time!
Norm worked on the ambulance run and later at the funeral home and I expected him to follow into the undertaking trade, as he always looked so serious, but apparently he became an environmentalist instead. RIP Norm.
Bruce Ford
John Christie
I knew Norman from the time they moved into the house across from Barretts and Leinwebers. At the time we lived in the Thompson Funeral home which my dad owned as partner. How did Norm die-----I would appreciate if somebody would tell me. He and i were great friends until I left for the Marines in '69 and then we went separate ways I guess. He had the largest paper route in Nelson for the Daily News. He covered all of Baker while my route covered all of Vernon and ended at then the Motion House. We always got done by 6;30 or 7 AM and then we'd meet at the Diamond Grill and have a doughnut and coke and shoot the breeze with Fred Wah who owned the place. Beryl Smith's dad was circulation manager at the time and a good guy to report to as we required a lot of patience being the young fools we were.
Norm's dad served in the air force so that's where he got that calling. His avid love for cars also came from his dad who was always tinkering with them and fixing them up. I remember many days with him and Norm plying a wrench here and a screw driver there. Norm was not a sports enthusiast but he sure knew mechanical things. His mom and sister, Patsy, were fine people too. Just down to earth,hard working people.
This is the first I've known Norm was gone. These few memories stated here have brought back a host of memories and good times had in our youth. I too worked at the funeral home and drove ambulance for several years before going on to summer work at CPR in 66-69. The TOO SOON death of a good friend is hard to take. I have said before on other comments that I am appalled at the losses taken by our 3 years of reunion grads thus far. Looks like nearly 20% already. I have seen more death in my life than probably 100 other men combined ever see in theirs. I have seen it on the roads of British Columbia, natural deaths, and in the fields of Vietnam in 70-71 as an infantryman and other places but it is never easy to accept a life ended far too soon.
In the words of a grizzled old Marine ----Semper Fidelis Norm----Always Faithful. May you have fair winds and following seas forever through eternity.
John Christie
Judy Robinson (Sausville)
John,
I agree with you about Norm. I have no idea how he passed but I did want to say that he was a gentle, kind classmate. I take exception to those who call him "different". We are all different, which I think is a good thing. That does not make us lesser persons than anyone else. I, too, am very saddened by how many of our classmates have passed as I still think of myself as young. Starting to get those dreaded grey hairs, though! I find it sad that we didn't cherish each other more when we were young. How I long to have those school days back! Judy Robinson