My sister Norma passed away today in a hospital in France. She was 90.
I realized today that my sisters have been looking after me on a shift basis. Norma took the shift from the time I was 10 until I was 22, which was probably a pretty tough shift. Sylvia and Gloria shared the zero to 8 shift, and poor Gloria got stuck with most of the rest. However, it was probably Norma who was to blame for my weird, dark sense of humour.
I have wonderful memories of camping in the New Forest with Norma and her gang, and there I learned the importance of being pragmatic with regards to life’s little emergencies. One time when I was chopping wood with Mum’s parang (machete) it bounced off a knot and cut a gash in my finger. I ran into the tent looking for sympathy and possibly first aid, and my big sister told me to get out at once because all that blood was going to attract every wasp in the Forest, and she didn’t want THAT in her tent.
My proudest moment was when Norma thanked me for a photo book that I had made for her 80th birthday. She said, “I thought I was the photographer in the family, but these photos are not bad.” High praise indeed.
I’ll miss you Norma.
Love and condolences to Penny, Mione, Stevie and Nick, and their offspring, and their offspring. Not a bad legacy, Norma, not bad at all.
One response to “My sister Norma, 1929 – 2019”
Sending deepest sympathy towards your sister. To reach that age is remarkable. My brother-in-law just died a couple of days ago. He was 95 years old. Still sad to lose a sibling. Geo