Parcourez la nécrologie de Doreen Edna Norris 2023 résidant dans la province Alberta pour le détail des funérailles
“The loss is immeasurable but so is the love left behind”.
It is with deep sadness that we announce that our Mum, Granny, Great-Granny, Aunt, friend, and unconditional supporter, Miki (Doreen) Norris (nee Cohn) went on to join Dad, Fran, Jen, and Paul on Saturday August 26th, 2023, at 95 years of age.
Doreen was born in 1928 on a stormy January day in Montreal Canada, to Henry, Catherine-Irene and Irene (sister) Cohn. She was a firecracker from the start! She had an insatiable need to understand her world and in spite of being a ‘depression kid’ loved every minute of her childhood. She was immortalized in the book ‘Girl in a Red River Coat’ written by early school year friend Mary Peate, “I called on Doreen… She had always been the smartest girl in the class, one of those people who did everything well. She could knit argyle socks. She was the best smokie player, the best miniature golfer, and the best Monopoly player…. Doreen was a Boardwalk and Park Place type of person”. Doreen grew up in NDG and went to St. Augustine School and Parish.
As the daughter of a Can. Pacific Railway employee, Mum took advantage of the program that transported university students to and from summer employment, leaving Montreal for 4 summers to waitress at the Banff Springs Hotel. Our dad, Paul Norris, who also took part in the CPR program, loved to tell the story of going to see the new recruits getting off the train, and noticing a beautiful brunette from Montreal. He always said it was love at first sight, and spent the next four year pursuing her.
As described in the Montreal Gazette (1948) The ’Vivacious 20 year-old Doreen Cohn’ graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Math and Statistics, Magna Cum Laude from Marianopolis College and with three college friends, took at trip to California. Along the way she picked apples in the Okanagan which sparked her love of the Okanagan valley. It was an enormous adventure that also engendered her love of travel.
Mum went back to Montreal to work at Celanese in their textile division, a job she loved given her science degree and love of colors. From her perspective and to the end of her life there was never a color that was just blue or green. It was periwinkle blue or azur blue or navy blue. She saw the world that way – one adjective was never enough to describe the people, places and experiences she had.
Dad finally convinced Mum to say yes (he proposed every summer they were in Banff) and in 1951 they were married. The newly minted geologist and science graduate moved to Calgary. Babies started arriving (1952-1964) and they moved to Edmonton raising their children, committed to family, faith and spending summers at their treasured ‘Fintry’ in the Okanagan.
On top of raising 9 kids, and being a full participant in our Dad’s business and political ventures, our ever-optimistic Mum was active in community/volunteer activities using her wit and wisdom to try and make the world a better place. This included parent school committees, and church committees until we were all done (or almost all done) school. At that point she became heavily involved in Catholic Social Charities, specifically spearheading the building of the Meals on Wheels Edmonton kitchen and distribution center, and moving a dedicated ‘group’ from raising funds at Christmas for hampers, to a registered separate society that became the Christmas Bureau of Edmonton. For a few years she was able to combine her love of hockey and charity when Kevin Lowe, then an Edmonton Oiler, joined her as the 1st honorary chairmen. Mum and Dad also began to travel. Mum once said ‘the planning was almost as much fun as the traveling’. They travelled the world on every size of boat/ship and treasured every single experience. Mum and Dad built a home on Dad’s beloved South 40 at the Village of Norris Beach in 1990 and moved out to Pigeon Lake.
Mum continued to create opportunities for the growing number of grandchildren to experience family traditions through Sunday dinners and holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter. The annual nativity plays, organized by the eldest grandchild using costumes from Mum’s famous ‘tickle trunk’ were legendary. Mum and Dad lived at South40 until 2012 when Dad ended up with significant health conditions that moved them to Camrose to be close to the care they needed.
After Dad died in 2015 Mum moved back to Edmonton to live at the Rosedale Villa which as it turned out was full of Catholic West-End Friends. She joined a writing group, choir, bridge, recreation group, and read at the weekly Catholic Mass. True to form, Mum served on the Rosedale Villa Council, and the Christmas gratuity committee that raised money to provide Christmas Bonuses to the incredible Rosedale staff. She also was able to continue heading to the Okanagan for part of the summers right up until the last couple of years.
As an incredibly social person, Mum was hit hard by COVID and while she was able to have one family member as the ‘designated visitor’ for over 200 days of ‘lockdown’, not being able to leave her one bedroom apt combined with advancing dementia took its toll.
We couldn’t be more grateful to every level of staff at the Rosedale Villa from the recreation and dining room staff to the health care aids, LPNs (especially Mary Jane), the Case Manager (Milan) and the admin staff. You became like family. We are also so thankful to Mom’s Home Instead companions – Coleen who organized groceries, all needs health related, weekly hair and nail appts, Edwinna singing and reading all things spiritual, Tanya and Rhonda who spent the days with Mom, reading, feeding, praying, taking her on walks and caring for her above and beyond. Words cannot express our gratitude to Dr.Bill Gibson who went above and beyond with mom’s care.
Miki ( Doreen) Cohn Norris was pre deceased by the love of her life, Paul (2015); her daughter, Frances (1998); her granddaughter, Jennifer ( 2017) and her grandson, Paul (2023).
She is survived by her children Sheilagh, Diane, Dan (Deborah), Colleen (Adam), Tim (Sharon), Tony (Teena), Mark (Veronica) and Mike (Anita); her grandchildren, Mike (Chella), Tim (Laura), Kate (Jay), Emeleigh, Ben, Sam (Sukie), Courtney (Dillon), Brittany (Carter), Ryley, Alex, Aaron (Sam), Bobbi, Molly, Claudia, Jack (Tatum), Emma, Hudson and Finley and her great-grandchildren: Reagan, Addison, Natasha, Will, Joe, Kate, Colin, Thomas, Lawson, Camden and Penny.
Mum also cherished being an aunt/great aunt to her sister Irene’s children – Chris, Carol, Mary Ellen and Peter who knew her as Aunty Dene, and the Texas side of the family who called her Aunt Miki.
Mum you taught us through example. You were always kind and generous to everyone who had the good fortune of meeting you. You were patient beyond measure and listened with an opened heart providing unconditional love. We will miss you beyond words but take solace in knowing you are watching over us ‘until we meet again’
A Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 11:00 a.m., Saturday, September 16, 2023, at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church. 9850 148 Street, Edmonton.
The Watcher
by Margaret Widdemer (1884-1978)
She always leaned to watch for us,
Anxious if we were late,
In winter by the window,
In summer by the gate.
And though we mocked her tenderly,
Who had such foolish care,
The long way home would seem more safe
Because she waited there.
Her thoughts were all so full of us,
She never could forget!
And so I think that where she is
She must be watching yet.
Waiting till we come home to her,
Anxious if we are late,
Watching from Heaven’s window,
Leaning on Heaven’s gate.
2023
Nos plus sincères sympathies à la famille et aux amis de Doreen Edna Norris 2023..
Décès pour la Ville: Edmonton, Province: Alberta
avis deces Doreen Edna Norris 2023
necrologie Doreen Edna Norris 2023
Nous offrons nos plus sincères condoléances à la famille et aux amis de Doreen Edna Norris 2023 et espérons que leur mémoire pourra être une source de réconfort pendant cette période difficile. Vos pensées et vos mots aimables sont grandement appréciés.