- Date Of Birth: March 5, 1929
- Date Of Death: July 16, 2017
- State: Georgia
Norman Joseph Blais, age 88, of Madison, AL, formerly of Greensboro, GA passed away peacefully Sunday, July 16, 2017 in Madison, AL and is now reunited with his beloved wife Joan for eternity.
Born in Cranston, RI on March 5, 1929, Norm was the son of the late Charles Earl Blais and Exilia Chartier Blais. He graduated from Manhattan College earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering and married his wife Joan Waldo in 1950.
Norm was a big man both physically and in character and was a leader his entire life. He was a track star in high school and college, an officer in the Navy by age 25, a corporate executive by his early 30s and president/CEO of several companies. His compassion and empathy for his employees was obvious and his home contained many artifacts and expressions of appreciation from his teams.
Upon settling in Greensboro, Norm was quite active in the community.
Although Norm’s physical abilities declined over time his mental skills never wavered. At age 80 he taught himself to write complex database-driven computer programs that he provided to others for free. Norm served as the single care-giver for his wife Joan during her multi-year decline in health that ended in August, 2008, two months shy of their 58th wedding anniversary. At no time during those years did he ever complain or ask for assistance in what was a truly remarkable display of strength, character and compassion.
In addition to his wife Joan, Norm was preceded in death by his brother, Earl Blais. He is survived by five daughters, Kathleen Clark-Colton and husband Gary of Aurora, IL, Margaret Hemmens and husband Tim of Aurora, IL, Susan Parham of Panama City, Panama, Patricia Blais of Birmingham, AL and Denise Blais of Felton, CA; a son, Richard Blais and wife Debra of Madison, AL, many grandchildren and great grandchildren, and a host of other relatives and friends.
