Norma Belle Gummo

After a remarkable life filled with love and devotion to family, Norma Gummo (nee Burmeister), born in Cadillac, Saskatchewan on March 17, 1923, slipped quietly from this earth at her Manor Village at Varsity home in Calgary on Saturday, September 21, 2024. She leaves to remember a life well lived her four surviving children: Dianne Wood Palgova of North Vancouver, Alan (Ruth) of Calgary, Cheryle Adams (George) of Trochu, AB, and Kenneth (Karen) of Calgary; daughters-in-law Mary Lou Flood and Marilyn Gummo; 16 grandchildren, 21 great-grandchildren, extended family and friends. Norma is predeceased by her husband of nearly 60 years, Thomas Gummo, in 2003; her eldest son Gerald (Katie) in 2021; her parents, Henry and Mary Burmeister; her brother Roy Burmaster and her sister June Peterson.

Norma’s childhood was marked by frequent moves as her father desperately searched for a secure livelihood through the depression years of the 1930’s. Remarkably, by the time she was 12 years-old Norma had called 12 different places home, ranging from Vanguard, Sask. to Wembley, Hythe, Ponoka & Calgary, Alberta. During this difficult period her mother Mary was the beacon of strength, love and resourcefulness that would hold the family together, soothing the children’s fears and serving as an indelible role model that Norma would hold steadfast to throughout her life.

After a short stint in Longview, by the late 1930’s Calgary had again become home to the Burmeister family (they changed the name to the less German-sounding Burmaster after WWII broke out), and Norma was immediately enamoured with all the attractions of what seemed to her a vast metropolis. Besides checking out the streetcar routes and the local movie theatres, she took various jobs to help keep the family fortunes afloat, ranging from babysitting, delivering prescription drugs on her bicycle for the Sunalta Drugstore, to working as an apprentice bookbinder at the Phoenix Press. Never wanting for male suitors, it was at a chance Calgary encounter in 1941 that she met local motorcycle enthusiast Tom Gummo, and they were married in August 1943 after a courtship interrupted by Tom’s Army service. It didn’t take long for the babies to begin arriving, beginning with Dianne in 1945; by 1949 four little munchkins were roaming the family home.

In 1947, Norma was thrilled when she and Tom were selected as one of the fortunate families being offered the chance to purchase a “war-time” house, and theirs was located on what was then an unpaved, relatively quiet, 14th Street NW in Capitol Hill. Although it would be considered exceptionally modest by today’s standards, to Norma this home of their own was a dream come true, and she set to work creating a cozy and stable nest for her growing family. After a lengthy break, baby Kenneth joined the family enterprise, and though living space and family finances were tight, Norma ensured that all her children enjoyed a wealth of love, delicious meals and an ever-present sympathetic ear.

Tom had never been as keen as Norma on city life. He had grown up in the Rocky Mountains and yearned for a home in a rural setting. He found a potential “rent to own” opportunity on an acreage just east of Calgary in 1960 where he could still maintain his city job while creating a small farm atmosphere with chickens, pigs and calves. Norma was less than thrilled with this plan and the dilapidated state of their farmhouse, but acquiesced in the interests of family harmony. While it was only a one-year experiment, it provided a wealth of family experiences and stories that live on in Gummo family lore.

In 1961, when the plan to purchase the rural property failed to materialize, Norma was excited when she and Tom found a home back in northwest Calgary, this time in the relatively new community of Thorncliffe. Although a more modern design than their war-time house, this modest 960 sq. ft. Trafford Place bungalow featured only three bedrooms and one bathroom, creating close quarters for the family of seven and dog Lassie. Family life became even more exciting when Dianne’s daughter Lauria arrived on the scene in 1963. Once again, Norma was the calm, loving and steadfast backbone of the home as Lauria was welcomed with open arms, and together the family braved the inevitable challenges that erupted over those busy teenage years.

In 1980, with Tom retired, their older children all married and Ken in university, Tom and Norma left Calgary for a home overlooking the Okanagan Lake in what is now called “Lake Country”. Norma was initially not keen on this move either, particularly since several new grandchildren had recently arrived on the scene, most in the Calgary region, but once again she agreed to it knowing how strongly Tom had wanted a more rural life for so many years. The fact that her beloved Mother lived less than a half-hour’s drive away in Kelowna cinched the deal, and it became an idyllic location for her children and their growing families to make their annual holiday pilgrimage.

While in Lake Country, Norma showed her determination to move beyond domestic duties; she became an avid curler, lawn bowler and occasional cross-country skier and even took up landscape painting among other pursuits. Even more impressively, she decided to take driving lessons so that she could visit her mother independently, and before long she had her licence and was driving her trusty old Volvo along the back roads into Kelowna on a regular basis. Tom and Norma made a few longer trips while living in Winfield, including a visit to parts of the northeastern and mid-west United States from where Tom’s father and Norma’s parents had emigrated.

By the mid-1990’s Tom was having some health scares and Norma’s dear mother had passed on, leading to the difficult decision to leave the Okanagan and return closer to family in Calgary. In mid-1995 they had just been settled into their Charleswood home for a few months when Tom suffered a major life-altering stroke, depriving him of mobility and the ability to speak. For the next eight years Norma’s devotion and love once again shone through as she selflessly devoted her time to faithfully visiting both Tom and her younger sister June (who was suffering from advanced dementia) several times a week at the Bethany Care Centre.

After a few years Norma moved to the Phoenician condo complex in the Dalhousie district, enjoying the pleasures of a new maintenance-free home for the first time. By now she had adjusted well to the challenges of living alone, participating in community fitness & other programs; daily phone calls and frequent visits with her children were a key part of each day. Her family organized a large 90th birthday celebration in 2013 and Norma was thrilled with the large attendance and loving tributes that she received.

A strong faith and membership in a Lutheran church had played important roles throughout Norma’s life, and after returning to Calgary she resumed her active participation at Highwood Lutheran where the family had attended through the 60’s and 70’s.

At the age of 94, the time came for Norma to move into an assisted living facility; eventually settling into the newly-built Manor Village at Varsity in 2018, making this her final home. She adapted well to her new surroundings, but a gradual decline in both her mental and physical capacities sadly meant increasingly less involvement in community activities. The COVID pandemic restrictions in 2020-2021 took an additional toll, as visits from family had always been a big part of her day. For a three-month period, when visitors to the Manor were totally restricted, Cheryle and Ken brought Norma to live in their respective homes, a challenging but rewarding time for all. Her eldest son Gerry’s death in 2021, and the fact that no formal memorial service could be arranged, brought her great sadness.

Norma and her entire extended family were excited to celebrate her 100th birthday in 2023; while it was a subdued event given her limited energy and need for a wheelchair, she was nevertheless thrilled with all the attention and the congratulatory letters received from the King, Prime Minister, Premier, Mayor and others.

In her last years, Norma’s mental engagement declined further and she became increasingly bed-ridden. A further challenge was that she could no longer use the telephone (previously a constant “lifeline” and source of comfort), so she spent most of her days sleeping. This was a challenging situation for all, but Mom somehow soldiered on, always flashing a smile and offering a kiss when a family member – especially a grandchild - arrived for a visit. We are forever indebted to the kind staff at the Manor Village, along with Dr. Matt Henschke (and her prior long-term physician Dr. Rodney Place) who all provided dedicated and loving care to Norma in these last days as she surprised even herself by reaching 101 years and beyond.

In summary, Norma’s life exemplifies the power of love in overcoming physical, financial and other adversities. She had an incredible gift for listening attentively, showing genuine empathy for those around her. While she never held an impressive job or title outside the home, Norma’s role could be characterized as the CLLO – the “Chief Love and Listening Officer”. Through it she created a home filled with love and respect, demonstrating the power of resilience, forgiveness and the willingness to compromise in the interests of family harmony, thus creating the foundation on which her children went forward to build their own successful lives. While it wasn’t always smooth sailing, Norma’s unfailing love truly became, in the words of Paul Simon, “a bridge over troubled waters”, earning for her an indelible place in all our memories and an exalted seat in God’s heaven.

We love you Mom!!

A service to celebrate Norma’s life will be held at Highwood Lutheran Church, 419 Northmount Drive N.W. Calgary on Monday, October 7, 2024 at 10:00 AM. Interment will follow at Queen’s Park Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Salvation Army Canada at their website https://salvationarmy.ca/

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Salvation Army Canada at their website https://salvationarmy.ca.