Bernard (Bernie) Norlock

Our dear sweet beloved dad passed away peacefully at the Hospice Palliative Care Unit, Barry’s Bay, Ontario on the evening of Sunday, September 25th in his 95th year. He was pre-deceased by his dear wife Kathleen Zilney. He is survived by his children: Terry, Maggie (Michael Casey), Leo, Nancy, Monica (Michael Trader), Jimmie (Sandy Shaver), Michael (Tammy Blank) and Kimberley (Sean Burns). Loving Grandpa of Scott (Melissa Emon), Sean (Angela Laidlaw), Stori (Shawn Libbey), Nick (Kourtney Crozier), Adam, Justin, Jordan, Casey (Alex Cappelletti), Amber, Madison, Sierra, Jamie and Taylor and great-grandchildren, Cadence, Nevaeh, Karmyn, Brynlee, Katie, Hannah, Mackenlee, Morgan, Kaison, Sawyer, Emersyn and Blaire.

Our Dad was the last member of the Victor Norlock family. He was pre-deceased by his parents Victor and Hedwig Stoppa and all of his brothers and sisters – Katherine (Nicholas Luckovitch), Philip (Emilia Prince), Mary (Dominic Visneskie), Veronica (Angus Dombrowski), Jean (Dominic Maika), Lucy (Ambrose Dombrowski), Vincent, Raymond (Stasia Prince) and Theresa (Joe Visneskie). He is survived by many nieces and nephews.

Our Dad had an unshakeable faith that sustained him through many difficult times in his 94 years. He continued to attend church services until into his 90’s when it became too difficult for him. In it’s place, he would watch Mass twice daily - volume loud. He participated actively and sang loudly. He always had his rosary in his pocket and would pray it several times a day. It wasn’t prayed just for his intentions but for the intentions of others. If you visited him, you would notice that there were chairs placed indiscriminately around the property. He would rest from whatever he was tending too and then say another rosary.

He was an avid gardener and until 2 years ago maintained a large plot. He started planning his garden in February by mapping it in his head and then by April/May he looked forward to planting it.

This year he tended to his raised gardens as his mobility was more challenging. When our Mom was alive they maintained the “his and her gardens” and actively competed against each other for first harvest and best harvest. He loved to share anything in his garden and provided gardening tips to anyone who asked. We saw a bit of that competitive streak in my Dad in the last 2 years when one of his children planted pumpkins and the challenge was on.

During Fall and Winter, he was an ardent hockey fan. When we were growing up with eight children in the house, we all remember that with one TV, when Hockey Night in Canada played on Saturday night, there was to be no noise. Our Dad was a Toronto Maple Leaf’s fan but if another Canadian Team was playing, he was their fan as well. Perhaps not when Toronto was playing that other Canadian team.

He was a relatively easy-going guy with a streak of stubbornness and who lived his life on his own terms which served him well for 94 years. There were certain creatures that absolutely drove him to distraction – squirrels, blue jays, and raccoons to name a few.

Our Dad was an incredibly fortunate man. Although he was a Type 1 Diabetic for over 67 years, he was not afflicted with the many challenges that other diabetics would experience. He was an anomaly. His family is blessed to have had him for as long as we did. In the end, it was his mobility that played havoc with his well-being. He was so fortunate to have people in his life that made it possible for him to live in his own home for as long as he did. It really does take a village. We would be remiss by not mentioning our Mom when thinking of the added years my Dad was gifted. He would want us to thank his sister-in-law Esther Kluke and friend of the family Cathy Brotton. He looked forward to his daily visits with all of the PSW’s who visited my Dad in the last several years in addition to his friends who stopped by to say “hi” and see how he was doing.

The family would like to thank the PSW staff (Heidi, Jenna, Cathy) and all the nurses of the Madawaska Valley Hospice Palliative Care Program who made our Dad so comfortable in his final days. Visitation will occur between 3PM and 8PM on Sunday, October 2, 2022. Funeral services will be held at St. Hedwig’s Church at 10:30AM on Monday, October 3, 2022. Memorial donations can be made to Madawaska Valley Hospice Palliative Care Program or the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRC).