It is with great sadness the family announces the passing of our mom, Norma Clark, at Appleby Place, Burlington on Saturday, May 7th, 2016 in her 94th year. Beloved wife of the late Dr. Roy Clark (2015). Loving mother of Bruce (Cindy) and Gordon. Proud grandmother of Lauren and Katy Jane (Charles Bowes) and great-grandmother of Peter. She will be dearly missed. A Memorial Service will be held at Pineland Baptist Church, 5100 New Street, Burlington, on Thursday, May 12, 2016 at 1 p.m. A private family interment at Burlington Memorial Gardens at a later date. For those who wish, donations in memory of Norma to Pineland Baptist Church (Elevator Fund) would be sincerely appreciated by the family.


Norma was born on May 19, 1922 in Toronto. She graduated with her degree in nursing from the University of Toronto and went on to teach nursing at the University. While working at Toronto East General Hospital, she met and ultimately fell in love with a handsome young surgeon Roy Clark. Roy and Norma were married in Toronto in 1952. Four years later, with a year old son Bruce in tow, they embarked on a career of Missionary service first in Egypt and then in Ethiopia. Their second son, Gordon was born while they were in Egypt. Together they spent over 15 years on the mission field where they brought medical care and spiritual support to all the communities they were privileged to encounter.
Norma had a unique ability to make the best of the most challenging circumstances and this was no more clearly demonstrated than in the practical nurses training program she established and ran in the town of Mettu in Ethiopia hundreds of miles from what most of us would consider civilization. That program ultimately produced many many qualified caregivers that provided care across the western part of Ethiopia and became the standard for community healthcare in much of the country.
Upon returning to Canada, Norma and the family settled in Collingwood where she retired from nursing but still remained active looking for ways to improve her community, support those in need and be a mentor to women young and old as they faced the inevitable challenges of life. Norma and Roy moved to Burlington when Roy retired where they expanded their community both socially at Appleby Place and spiritually at Pineland Baptist Church.