On this day Norman peacefully departed, with his family beside him, leaving behind this grieving family who will forever hold him close in their hearts, as they were so very close in life and love.
Left to grieve are his wife of 62 years, Natalie, and three adult children, Shannon, Nicole (Pete) and Kevin (Julia) four grandchildren, Kara (James) Jesse (Sasha) Julian and Madelaine, and seven great grandchildren, Jacklynn, Emma, Leah and Katie Natalie (Kara & James) and Luka, Sava and Marko (Jesse & Sasha) his sister, Jeanne Purvis, sisters-in-law Gloria Rein and Sonya Piaskoski and many nieces and nephews.
Norman was born in Cabri, Saskatchewan to Emil and Labeeta Speckmaier, moved to Harrison Hot Springs and lastly to Calgary. Norman graduated from high school there and went to work at the Bank of Montreal.
He was transferred from Calgary to Drumheller, Alberta and wouldn’t have dreamed that his future wife was in the process of growing up there. When he had enough money saved, he followed a friend to Arizona and was accepted at the University of Arizona, Tucson. There followed the best experiences of his young life. “Rushed” by the Kappa Sigma fraternity and pursued by sorority girls, he worked his way through university by “hashing” at a nearby sorority house. (No surprise there!)
He was lauded with many titles in the never-ending frat society life i.e. Mr. Formal, Most Eligible Bachelor, Kappa Man and others. The friendships he made with his frat Brothers were kept close to his heart and Natalie was fortunate enough to meet many of them at University Homecoming celebrations. He valued those memories to the end of his days and has passed the baton to Natalie.
Other than being there for the good times, he graduated with a B.Sc in Business Administration. He moved to Los Angeles to work in a bank, and with his movie-star looks, almost made it BIG in Hollywood. A bit part in a Robert Wagner film “A Kiss Before Dying” where he drove his yellow convertible past Robert on a pay phone. However, he soon became disenchanted with life in America and headed home to Calgary. This is where he met and married Natalie and family life began.
He delighted in his children and didn’t balk at diaper changing or dealing with all facets of child raising. He was so proud of their three kids, their accomplishments and their successful journey through life.
He continued working in the financial sector, was transferred to Medicine Hat and then to Edmonton, with the final destination being Vancouver. There he managed a trust company branch and eventually struck out on his own as a mortgage broker. He was well respected in this business for his honesty, integrity and work ethic. He became the go-to guy if a broker had trouble placing a mortgage and “give it to Norm” was a frequent cry by those in the business.
Norm would be in the office early, work late and no matter who rang the office doorbell selling goods, services or just to visit, he always welcomed them and was always curious to see what someone was selling. He would buy all manner of goods and services –as he had many jobs in between, moonlighting during early years while raising a young family and therefore familiar with the bravery it took to do “cold calling”. He was also of the era where the “in person” experience was foremost in his dealings with all people. Getting him to invest in a fax machine meant he did not have to go downtown daily to drop off documents, sign papers, meet with bankers, and drive around the city, something he cherished!
He loved his hardware store visits every Saturday…we never knew Remington made 10” electric chainsaws…and we found Norm had one.
Norm was known for his impeccable business style – formal, polished, in a suit and tie every day he was in the office. “Casual Friday” was not something he understood!
Being in business on West 4th Ave in Kitsilano since 1972 ensured that he watched the neighborhood change, in addition to getting to know everyone on the blocks between the office and Starbucks, twice daily at 10 and 3 for coffee, and Friday lunch with his daughter Shannon, who worked with him for almost 20 years.
Always the consummate gentleman, he never swore, (“gol dangit” was the extent of it) never gossiped, never surrounded himself with drama, with everything taken at face value – as he assumed everyone had to be as honest as he was! However he always knew when something wasn’t quite right…therefore had many interesting and funny stories! And when he came up with a one-liner, you were left laughing for a week…when asked where he got his head of curly hair from, he said “it came with my head”…
After suffering a TIA in 2010 he made the decision shortly after to retire from the business. It was his decision, however he would tell anyone who asked “my wife made me do it!”
Norm’s retirement years surprised him, as he found he enjoyed travel, since he didn’t have part of himself “thinking about the office”. He enjoyed a newly discovered love of all-inclusive destinations in Mexico and Cuba, as former travels to Malaysia, Thailand, England and many European destinations were previously overshadowed by having left his business behind.
The final trip was one he never forgot - a river cruise from Moscow to St. Petersburg with a couple of dear friends.
Soon, travel got to be too much trouble and was voluntarily given up while the memories were still enjoyed.
Norm’s TIA had resulted in short term memory loss and this was followed by accidents resulting in broken bones. A hip replacement in 2016 and a long road to recovery didn’t get him back to pre-accident level. Many months of physiotherapy and specialized exercise classes kept him fairly mobile. At the end of September, he fell again and broke the implanted hip. He had Superpath surgery but unrelated complications had him fighting a battle he couldn’t, and didn’t win.
There are not words enough to thank the medical staff in the Orthopedic Ward of Vancouver General Hospital for the wonderful, compassionate care given to Norman.
A memorial will be held at a later date.
In lieu of flowers please consider the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra as the events attended were a special joy in his life.
Thank you to everyone who has expressed their kind condolences about how funny, kind, good, and interesting he was. He was a true man of his era and will be truly, sadly missed and very fondly remembered.