Age 79, died peacefully in her sleep on Saturday, October 21, 2017. Born in Orangeville, ON on December 21, 1937, the fourth of five daughters to Thomas and Alta (nee Williams) Barrett, her early childhood was marked by the death of her mother when she was four. Raised by a loving extended family, including her father, stepmother, Dolly (Mary Wheeler), beloved aunts and uncles, Jessie and Leslie Bowman; Norma Williams; Carl and Irene Williams, and dear family friends, Frank and Connie Cooper, she spent her childhood growing up in Niagara Falls, Galt, and Terra Cotta. Norma graduated from Brampton High School (1956), and completed her B.A. in Zoology at Trinity College, University of Toronto (6T1) and immediately started working at Vineland Station, ON as a laboratory technician in wine research. On May 26, 1961, she married Thomas Neudoerffer. The young couple spent three pivotal years (1964 - 1967) studying and working in Cambridge, England, where Norma earned a degree in Library Science and Tommy earned his PhD, and travelling the Continent. They returned to Canada in 1967 with their newborn daughter, Cecelia, and took up residence in Guelph, ON, where Tommy joined the Department of Nutrition, University of Guelph. Daughters, Sarah and Cynthia soon joined the family. After the early death of her husband in 1972, Norma became the stalwart for her young daughters. As they grew, she returned to work, first as a librarian, then a teaching assistant and at age 50, graduated from OISE-University of Toronto as a certified teacher.
During her 50 years as a proud Guelphite, Norma was an active member of St. George’s Anglican Church, the Guelph Historical Society, the Guelph Civic Museum, the University Women’s Club and Third Age Learning at the University of Guelph. At the age of 67, Norma completed the 1,000 km Camino de Santiago across northern Spain in the spring of 2005, with daughter Sarah; a major accomplishment of which she was (and all of us were) very proud.
Norma lived her life fully to the very end. At Thanksgiving, Norma spent the weekend with her large extended Neudoerffer family, her two oldest grandsons, and also time with two sisters Phyllis and Jean. Norma loved the theatre; the day before she died, she went to see ‘Guys and Dolls’ at Stratford Festival Theatre.
She was a spiritual, intellectual Christian, an astute historian, an avid traveller, a life-long learner, a nature-lover, an active walker and supporter of the arts who will be remembered for her quiet, compassionate ways. Dear wife to the late Thomas (d. 1972), adored mother of Cecelia Cieńska (Jan), Sarah Peyrusaubes (Christophe), and Cynthia Neudoerffer (Henry Venema); beloved grandmother to Staś, Thomas and Sophie Cieński, Luisa and Roland Peyrusaubes, Lydia, Harry (d. 2008) and Sebastien Venema, cherished sister to Jean Fayle, Marjorie Barrett (d. 2006), Phyllis White (Murray) and Barbara MacDonald (Don, d. 2007) and sister-in-law to Ernst Neudoerffer (Carole). She will be greatly missed by her many nieces, nephews, cousins and friends who were very dear to her.
A memorial service will be held on Thursday, November 2, 2017 at 2:00pm at St. George’s Anglican Church, 99 Woolwich St., Guelph, Ontario. A reception will follow in the church’s Mitchell Hall. There will be no visitation. A private family service of interment will be held on Friday, November 3, 2017 in Niagara Falls. For those who wish, in lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Guelph Historical Society, Guelph Civic Museum or St. George’s Anglican Church. Donation cards are available at the Gilbert MacIntyre & Son funeral home, Dublin Chapel, 252 Dublin St. N., Guelph 519-822-4731