Norman F. Scott

Norman Fredrick Scott was born on February 23, 1924, to Alice and James Scott in Ponoka Alberta. He had five brothers and two sisters, all older except for one, a brother. He survived the Great Depression, and in 1943 joined the Royal Canadian Air Force where he earned his wings as a pilot. He never saw combat, and was honorably discharged in 1945.

He entered the University of Alberta using the ‘GI’ allowance that military personnel received, and graduated with a degree in Geology. He took that degree and a love of adventure and moved to Indonesia to work in the field of oil exploration. As a bachelor he worked hard and played golf harder, eventually dropping his handicap into the low single digits. He returned home to Alberta on an extended vacation where he met Marie Pickersgill at a wedding. After a relatively short courtship, they were married on November 27 1954, the same year the Edmonton Eskimos won the Grey Cup. He returned to Indonesia alone, and after six months or so, when the legal paperwork for Marie was in order, she joined him there. They had two daughters while in Indonesia, Barbara and Marguerite. The family returned to North America for a short time, living in Shreveport Louisiana, but an opportunity to work in North Africa arose and the family packed up and spent time in Algeria, where he worked on the Sahara oil fields. In 1962, Algeria suffered a coup, resulting in a move for the family across the Mediterranean to France, where James, child number three was born. The political climate seemed stable in Algeria once again, and the family moved back. In 1965 the Scotts moved to England, where Norman worked on various oil exploration projects in the North Sea, East Africa and West Africa. In 1977 Norman, Marie and Jim moved to Rio de Janeiro where he worked for Esso Brasiliera, concentrating on the offshore oil fields. Marguerite was married and moved to Canada, while Barbara finished her degree at the University of British Columbia. After two years in Rio, Norman decided to take early retirement at age 55, after spending 31 years (both seasonal while in university and full time upon graduating) in oil exploration. Norman, Marie and Jim moved to Nanaimo BC, where the climate was mild, and golf was available 365 days a year. The family bought a house and he joined the Nanaimo Golf Club at about the same time. Eventually he built two houses in the Nanaimo area. Norman and Marie joined the Jonanco Hobby Workshop where he learned to make silver jewellery and facet gemstones. Like many adventurous retirees, Norman and Marie travelled South in the winter, eventually ending up in the dry climates of California and Arizona. In his spare time in Nanaimo, he experimented making wine from any kind of berry he could find. He also discovered, and mastered, the art of making maple syrup from the many maple trees in the neighbourhood.

In 2011 Norman suffered a massive stroke resulting in paralysis, and a move to the Nanaimo Seniors Village ensued. His feisty attitude at the Nanaimo Seniors Village earned him a membership in the ‘Happy Feet Gang’. He was passionate about life, and was committed to his wife of 62 years. He was an awesome father to three children, and a fantastic grandpa and great grandpa. He was an adventurer, a mentor and an educator. He left a huge hole in our hearts when he passed away at age 92 on June 2nd, 2016