Born on April 14, 1962 in Victoria, BC, Norm passed away peacefully on December 7, 2019. He will be missed by his wife, Gwen (Poelzer); his son, Kevin and his cat, Tybalt. He is survived by his mother, Florrie (Daniel-recently deceased); his father, Derek (Kay); brothers, Ray (Suzanne) and Doug (Louise) and sister, Anna (Anthony) and numerous extended family.
Norm will be missed for his kindness, charisma, his very unique ‘Normisms’ and ‘thinking outside the box’.
He loved camping with his family, his trailer and his orange truck, and spent summers exploring BC’s many parks and natural areas. Norm worked for the Provincial Government and spent 35 years working for the Ministry of Transportation. He will be sadly missed by his many friends and colleagues.
A Memorial Service with Reception will be held in the Sequoia Centre at McCall Gardens, 4665 Falaise Drive at 2:00 pm on Friday, December 13th.
If desired, donations in his memory may be made to the BC Cancer Foundation.
Condolences may be offered to the family below.
McCall Gardens
www.mccallgardens.com
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Kurt Edmunds
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Judy Schut Gwen, Kevin, Derek and Family
I worked with Derek for 12 years in Victoria then transferred to Vancouver working in the Burnaby Regional Office. I was shocked and sad to hear of Norm’s passing. He was a great guy that enjoyed life. He will be missed! My thoughts go out to his family
Judy Schut
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Hugh Feather Condolences to Gwen and Kevin. Norm was a good man and I am glad I had a chance to know him.
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Liz Doenz Gwen and Kevin
We are keeping you both in our prayers and send our deepest condolences.Lanny &Liz (Lisowski) Doenz
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Alec Dawson Norm was 10 years older than our daughter Susanne When she was born Norm came to visit in the summer. He spent the whole week running around the neighbourhood pushing her stroller he was a great babysitter we all loved Norm. Love Auntie Gert Uncle Alec Susanne and David.
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Howard Rex Hunter It is with shock & regret that I give my condolences regarding the premature passing of our former colleague & friend Norm Parkes.
In the mid 1980’s I worked extensively with Norm on many Development Approvals Projects. Norm was always very insightful, & constantly thinking outside the box for solutions to complex development problems. He was always pleasant & a joy to work with. He could usually always find humour in any situation, was always telling jokes ,in good spirits & always had a kind smile.
Kudos to his dad Derek,(who I also had the pleasure of working with),for his mentoring of Norm. He has a right to be proud of Norm.
My thoughts & prayers go out to Gwen, Kevan, Derek & familyat this time.
Fair thee well Norm, until we meet again!
Howard Hunter.
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Lynda Lochhead, Kelowna Gwen, Kevin and family – so sad to hear of Norm’s passing. I’m not sure what year I actually met Norm – he just was always a part of the Highways family. One of the very first things that I learned from Norm was how the timing worked on traffic signals especially related to the pedestrian cycle. Apparently, you only need to push the ped signal once! Every-time I’m at an intersection and I see someone standing there pounding on the ped signal button, I want to roll down my window and shout “Norm says you only have to push it once!” Norm was a good man, a likeable guy, ready to laugh and say Hi, to sit and share family stories. May all your good memories of Norm carry you forward in the days ahead.
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Jennifer Fraser Long before I joined the ministry I had heard about Norm Parkes…and always in a good way. He was known broadly for his smart mind and his uncanny ability to know how to get stuff done. When I joined the ministry (almost) 6 years ago and finally got to work with Norm, he lived up to all I had heard about him. Norm was one of the people who made me feel welcomed. He was so approachable and available and he always took the time to help, offer his support and provide insight into whatever problem I was trying to solve. I will miss Norm. He was a great guy. ❤️
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Sharon Goddard My condolences to the family. I remember meeting Norm in June 1987 when we both worked in the Ministry Burnaby regional office. We worked in “Planning”, development approvals now, and we had such a fun time. We were reminiscing a few months ago and Norm said “You what’s cool Sharon? The kids now are having as much fun as we did.” Norm was clever, he always figured out a way. Every time I drive to Metrotown I remember the huge development file we had and all of the negotiations Norm navigated regarding the traffic and access. Norm insisted on several aspects of traffic engineering for the movement along Kingsway that are still working well today. Norm truly cared.
Sharon
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S. Witham Sincere condolences to the whole family at the loss of a very special man. Our hearts go out to you all
Sheelah and Brian
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Graeme Cross I am so saddened to hear about Norm’s passing.
I’ll always remember my first experience with Norm and Gwen. It was a cold January in 2003 and I had arrived in Kamloops from the Lower Mainland as a young Engineer in Training on a house hunting trip. Norm was to be my engineering mentor and supervisor at the ministry.
Norm and Gwen showed so much kindness and warmth inviting my family in to their Aberdeen home for dinner and welcoming us to the city. I also recall receiving a phone call from our realtor and sharing the news over your dinner table that we just bought our first home.
Norm was concerned that we bought in Juniper Ridge because there were long term plans for Highway 1 to be realigned farther up the hill, closer to the houses, but he reassured that we would have several years to sort that out. 🙂
Norm will be missed….
Our condolences to Gwen, Kevin, and the Parkes family.
Blessings,
Graeme and Tanya Cross
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Audrie Henry Gwen, Kevin, and Tybalt,
I knew Norm through my employment at the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure. Although we didn’t work together in the same office, he would always take the time when visiting the District office to say hello and see how everyone was doing. There was never a time when he didn’t talk about his family and share stories about what you all were up to, especially Kevin. May you find peace in the memories.
Audrie Henry
Kelowna, BC
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Marie Ormston (nee Poelzer) Gwen and family:
So sorry to hear of your loss! He will be missed that’s for sure! Thoughts and prayers to you all!
Love: Cecile, Marie & Chad, Kathleen & James, Anthony & Mark
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Judy Matthew Dearest Gwen and Kevin,
We send deep love. Norm was a gentle and quietly powerful man. He had a keen mind, with interests and skills in so many areas. We are immensely grateful that his life touched ours. As fellow gardeners and adventurers, we have been truly blessed to have him in our family network.
❤️ Judy, Brian, and Ben
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Randy and Patti Doan Gwen Kevin and the Parkes family. We are so sorry to hear of Norm’s passing. Norm will be missed by his family friends and co workers. Please know we’re hear for you. Sending big hugs
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Sherie Guild Gwen and Kevin…..
Our deepest condolences to you both ❤️
We thought the world of Norm and will treasure the camping memories with him. He just adored you both, always so proud to be your husband and father. When I see the ocean… I always think of Norm collecting shells with Doug. He was such a kind and generous man. May God bless you with comfort and strength. We love you both and will keep you in our prayers
Sherie, Rod and Doug
My sincere condolences to the family. I remember working with Norm in mid 1980’s in the Burnaby Regional Office with a team of young EIT’s, Norm always had a smile, great sense of humour and an insightful way of looking at things. A few years back I got to work with Norm on a Development Services initiative and really appreciated the opportunity to work with him again. He was always supportive, kind and respectful. He left a huge influence on the Ministry and taught me a lot about seeing the bigger picture. Norm always took the time to connect with the folks he worked with. My thoughts go out to his family at this time.