Irene A Normandin

Irene A. Normandin (nee Sharpe) passed away peacefully on January 3, 2026 at the age of 98. She was born in St. John’s, Newfoundland on November 29, 1927 to Dr. E. Leo Sharpe and Ellen (Bishop). Her father was a family practitioner who had spent over six years as a Catholic seminarian in Ireland, training for the priesthood, before graduating from medical school in Dublin. Her mother was a trained Montessori teacher from Waterford, Ireland. Irene was the third of their nine children. She had a very happy childhood but suffered from the untimely death of her closest-in-age sibling, Zita, from tuberculosis at the age of eighteen.

Irene graduated from Memorial University College in St. John’s and studied at the Newfoundland Academy of Arts. She subsequently began work at the U.S. Consulate office in St. John’s. The Consul General and his wife, Tobey and Marguerite Mooers, recognized Irene’s innate talent as an artist. When his term in office ended, they brought Irene with them to live in Sarasota, Florida which was a vibrant art community at the time. Irene studied at the Amagansett School of Art for three years, under the tutelage of Hilton Leech, a nationally recognized watercolorist and art teacher.

Irene moved to Washington DC where she met her architect husband, Aram Normandin. They were married for 45 years. Aram supervised the construction of the German Embassy in DC, among other projects. Irene started work at the World Bank in 1957 and became executive secretary to the Vice-President during Robert McNamara’s term as President of the World Bank (1968-1981) and for many years thereafter. Her creative outlet and passion was oil painting. She had a showing of her paintings at the World Bank many years ago.

An Irish beauty with auburn hair and alabaster skin, Irene was graceful, introspective, gentle and serene. She loved poetry, philosophy, and art history. A devout Catholic, she was a longstanding member of the Daughters of St. Francis de Sales, an international group of lay women seeking holiness in daily life through the spiritual teachings of St. Francis de Sales who promoted the “little virtues” of generosity, humility, kindness, and patience. Because of her spirituality and prayer-filled life, Irene was described by her siblings as “being in this world but not of this world.” She possessed an artist’s sensibility and felt beauty and emotion profoundly.

Irene was predeceased by her husband, Aram; by her five sisters (Patricia Russell, Zita Sharpe, Geraldine (Jill) Parker, Eleanor Blair, and Noreen Sharpe); by her three brothers (Dr. Edward Sharpe, Duncan Sharpe, and infant Bernard Patrick Sharpe) and by a dear companion in her twilight years, James Conroy. She is survived by twenty nieces and nephews who loved and admired their gracious and artistic aunt.

The family is deeply grateful for the care provided by her assisted living facility, Sunrise on Connecticut Avenue, which was her home in Washington DC for the past four years. They are also very grateful to her longtime personal assistant and friend, Ada Interiano, for her love and support over many years. A Requiem Mass will be held at the Annunciation Church at 3810 Massachusetts Ave NW in Washington DC on Wednesday, March 25 at 11 a.m. Interment of her ashes will take place at the columbarium in Arlington Cemetery at a later date.