Dad, Stormin' Norman, Bumpa, Poppa. Born April 15, 1928, in Heart's Delight, Nfld. Died Dec. 10, 2010, in London, Ont., of natural causes, aged 82.
Maxwell Norman (Norm) Reid was the fourth of nine children born to Ethel Mariah Green and Archelaus Alexander Reid. Norm's childhood activities included skiing behind cars and jumping between ice floes in Heart's Delight, Nfld., a small fishing village on Trinity Bay.
Norm was fond of books, especially the poetry of Frost and Tennyson. He read the dictionary daily, keen to increase his command of the English language. After high school and teacher training at Memorial University, Norm began teaching in a one-room schoolhouse in Labrador, driven by dog sled - but mostly by his promise to his mother that he would become a teacher. It was a challenging job at 16, especially when many students were older than he.
Five years later, while visiting his brother in Montreal, a "help wanted" sign in the window of the Bank of Montreal caught his eye. In 1949, Norm started his long and illustrious cross-Canada banking career. His transfers for work reaped rich rewards - friendships from coast to coast, and up and down the bank's organization.
The luckiest assignment of all was his posting to Barry's Bay in the Ottawa Valley, where he met the love of his life, Terry, a nursing student who was home from Kingston for a few days and doing her mother's banking. After a long-distance courtship of four years while they both moved to advance their careers, they were married in 1954 in Barry's Bay. "The Bay" became Norm's second home as he was welcomed into Terry's large family and community.
Norm and Terry were happily married for 50 years before Terry died of a stroke in 2004. Their love of life and new horizons were the foundation for raising their son, Michael, and three daughters, Sheila, Carol and Andrea. They were proud to witness this legacy of love grow with their children's spouses, 11 grandchildren - who knew Norm as Bumpa and Poppa - and finally a great-grandson.
Stormin' Norman, as he was known in business circles for his gregarious nature and no-nonsense approach, witnessed many changes in banking. After a 42-year career and a brief retirement at 62, Norm consulted with small businesses for a few months before becoming one of BMO's "golden retrievers," selling retirement income funds until finally retiring at 72.
Norm's trademarks were his love of family and friends, his quick humour, his magnanimous hospitality and his exemplary grammar. He loved travelling to visit friends for a good game of bridge or "just a taste" of rum (no ice). Whether dressed in a Santa suit, a Halloween costume, or a Beatles wig, he always had a smile, a hug and a firm handshake. Wherever he and Terry went, they made a happy home, lifetime friends and taught us what really matters in life.
By Carol Brennan, Norm's daughter.