Bradford Norman III

He left us, comfortably surrounded by his close family.

The first of two children, Brad was born in 1936 in New York, New York, to Eleanor McKnight

Pierce and Bradford Norman Jr. He was a graduate of St. Paul’s School in Concord, NH, and

earned a BS from Miami University and a PhD from American University.

In the mid 1960s, Brad and his first wife, Mary Potter Bonsal of Camden, SC, moved to

Washington, D.C., where he worked for the U.S. Department of Education and started a family.

In the 1970s, he remarried Ann Sabin Mitchell of Bethesda, MD. He was a dedicated and loving

father and stepfather. Brad was always interested in higher education and loved academia. He

was fascinated with computer technology. His PhD thesis involved computers in education. His

degree led him to work for Wang Laboratories as an educator focusing on early networked office

systems.

Brad had many talents and hobbies. He loved skiing, sailing, and vacations with his family. He

excelled as a marksman and gamesman, winning skeet shooting and backgammon

competitions. Brad cherished all things nautical, including ship models, whaling history, and his

family ties to Newport, RI. He was thoughtful and generous with his time. He believed in

education as a means to empower people. For many years he tutored D.C. area children in

literacy. Also during this time, he volunteered at the Washington National Cathedral as a docent

for 21 years. In addition to his years of service, Brad was gifted with a beautiful voice. He

adored choral singing from his early years at St. Paul’s School to 20+ years with the Cathedral

Choral Society.

Brad was preceded in death by his parents and his sister, Priscilla “Penny” Norman Whitmore.

He is survived by Ann Sabin Norman, his loving wife of 47 years, his 2 children Bradford

(Kimberly) Norman IV and Hope (David) Bass, and his 2 stepchildren Katy (Sam) Coleman and

James (Shannon) Mitchell. Brad is survived by 4 grandchildren, William, Garrett, Alexandra, and

Lillian, and by 7 step grandchildren, Jack, Henry, Jim, Sabin, Caroline, Mason, and Reese.

A memorial service will be held on August 7, 2024, at St. Alban’s Church (3001 Wisconsin

Avenue NW Washington, D.C.). The service will begin at 11:00 am with a reception to follow.

There will be a small gathering at Modena Reserve Senior Living Community (day and time to

be announced) in Kensington, MD.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to the

National Cathedral (https://campaign.cathedral.org) or Norman Bird Sanctuary in Middletown, RI

(https://normanbirdsanctuary.org).