April 23, 2022
April 23, 2022
Blessings to you Peter and Cheryl and family as you grieve the life of a woman who has been so foundational in your lives.
UPDATED - May 1, 2021
Service link - https://youtu.be/RzkocKQCTZI
You can connect now; the service begins at 4 p.m. Ottawa time (EDT)
Service leaflet - https://indd.adobe.com/view/bb49eeaa-f30c-4d0d-af89-6581faae6cd1 (available now)
Reception - https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89506805389?pwd=ZTNlbU9kQWZZNmhGY3lPc3B6M2VOUT09
Following the service, you are welcome to join the family for a brief reception on Zoom beginning at 5:15 pm EDT.
With deep sadness, her family announce that Norma Manly died peacefully in Ottawa on Friday, April 23, 2021, at age 86. Born in Georgetown, Guyana (then British Guiana) to Frederick Thomas and Nina Doreen (née Griffith), Norma moved to Canada in 1955.
Predeceased by her parents, Fred and Doreen; brother Desmond and sister Pat Kelham, Norma is survived by her daughter Mona Denton (Peter) of St. Andrews, Manitoba; sons Peter Farris-Manning (Cheryl) of Ottawa, Ontario and Kevin Farris (Jim Harlick) of Victoria, British Columbia; sisters Daphne Barlow of Auckland, NZ, and Margaret Shelley of Marlow, UK; brother Bob (Irene) of Sherwood Park, Alberta; grandchildren Ruth Denton (Vijay Chalasani) of Greeley, Colorado; Daniel Denton, of St. Andrews, Manitoba; Jamie Bouchard (Jordan), Nikki Lauman (She-Yang), Kim Farris-Manning, and great-granddaughter Charlotte Lauman, all of Ottawa; her former husband, James Farris (Jean) of Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island; along with nieces, nephews and dear friends.
Over the years, Norma lived in Kingston, Jamaica; Auckland, New Zealand; Calgary, Alberta; and Toronto, Sudbury, Guelph, Mississauga, and Kitchener, Ontario, settling finally in Ottawa in 1999. Her work life was similarly wide-ranging, from bank teller to telephone operator, secretary to salesperson, and saw her work for a variety of firms in several countries.
Inheriting a love of music from her mother, Norma had a glorious contralto voice. She studied with Leslie Holmes and Howell Glynne at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, with Roderick Jones and Marian Nowakowski at the Jamaica School of Music, and took courses with Walter Gruner and Roy Henderson at the Guildhall School of Music in London. Other teachers included Joseph-Victor Ladéroute in Sudbury. Norma sang with Jamaica’s St. Andrew Singers, the Canadian Opera Chorus, Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, and the Symphonia of Auckland, Opera Division. In 1970, at the Kiwanis Music Festival, Toronto, she placed first in the six classes for contralto and won the Rose Bowl for female voices. Norma presented solo recitals, often accompanied on the piano by long-time collaborator Stella Kerson. A committed, ecumenical Christian all her life, Norma was particularly attached to oratorio and sacred song, singing in many church choirs and serving as a soloist at Metropolitan United Church, Toronto, and at the Basilica of Our Lady Immaculate and St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, in Guelph.
The family are grateful for the professional and compassionate care Norma received in her last weeks at the Montfort Hospital and for their kindness to her family at a difficult time. Special thanks to doctors Gottman, O’Meara, Daigneault, and Tessier, and to nurse Nadia Nyamushara.
In lieu of flowers, donations to The Royal Ottawa Foundation for Mental Health, The Mission & Service Fund of The United Church of Canada, or the Canadian Cancer Society would be appreciated.
A grateful beneficiary of pioneering open-heart surgery by Dr. Wilfred Bigelow in the 1950s, Norma prearranged the donation of her body to the University of Ottawa’s Faculty of Medicine, to contribute to future medical research and training.
A service of thanksgiving for Norma’s life will be held at MacKay United Church on Saturday, May 1 at 4:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. Owing to COVID restrictions, the service will be streamed online. Connection details are now available at the top of this page.
Service link - https://youtu.be/RzkocKQCTZI
You can connect now; the service begins at 4 p.m. Ottawa time (EDT)
Service leaflet - https://indd.adobe.com/view/bb49eeaa-f30c-4d0d-af89-6581faae6cd1 (available now)
Reception - https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89506805389?pwd=ZTNlbU9kQWZZNmhGY3lPc3B6M2VOUT09
Following the service, you are welcome to join the family for a brief reception on Zoom beginning at 5:15 pm EDT.
With deep sadness, her family announce that Norma Manly died peacefully in Ottawa on Friday, April 23, 2021, at age 86. Born in Georgetown, Guyana (then British Guiana) to Frederick Thomas and Nina Doreen (née Griffith), Norma moved to Canada in 1955.
Predeceased by her parents, Fred and Doreen; brother Desmond and sister Pat Kelham, Norma is survived by her daughter Mona Denton (Peter) of St. Andrews, Manitoba; sons Peter Farris-Manning (Cheryl) of Ottawa, Ontario and Kevin Farris (Jim Harlick) of Victoria, British Columbia; sisters Daphne Barlow of Auckland, NZ, and Margaret Shelley of Marlow, UK; brother Bob (Irene) of Sherwood Park, Alberta; grandchildren Ruth Denton (Vijay Chalasani) of Greeley, Colorado; Daniel Denton, of St. Andrews, Manitoba; Jamie Bouchard (Jordan), Nikki Lauman (She-Yang), Kim Farris-Manning, and great-granddaughter Charlotte Lauman, all of Ottawa; her former husband, James Farris (Jean) of Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island; along with nieces, nephews and dear friends.
Over the years, Norma lived in Kingston, Jamaica; Auckland, New Zealand; Calgary, Alberta; and Toronto, Sudbury, Guelph, Mississauga, and Kitchener, Ontario, settling finally in Ottawa in 1999. Her work life was similarly wide-ranging, from bank teller to telephone operator, secretary to salesperson, and saw her work for a variety of firms in several countries.
Inheriting a love of music from her mother, Norma had a glorious contralto voice. She studied with Leslie Holmes and Howell Glynne at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, with Roderick Jones and Marian Nowakowski at the Jamaica School of Music, and took courses with Walter Gruner and Roy Henderson at the Guildhall School of Music in London. Other teachers included Joseph-Victor Ladéroute in Sudbury. Norma sang with Jamaica’s St. Andrew Singers, the Canadian Opera Chorus, Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, and the Symphonia of Auckland, Opera Division. In 1970, at the Kiwanis Music Festival, Toronto, she placed first in the six classes for contralto and won the Rose Bowl for female voices. Norma presented solo recitals, often accompanied on the piano by long-time collaborator Stella Kerson. A committed, ecumenical Christian all her life, Norma was particularly attached to oratorio and sacred song, singing in many church choirs and serving as a soloist at Metropolitan United Church, Toronto, and at the Basilica of Our Lady Immaculate and St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, in Guelph.
The family are grateful for the professional and compassionate care Norma received in her last weeks at the Montfort Hospital and for their kindness to her family at a difficult time. Special thanks to doctors Gottman, O’Meara, Daigneault, and Tessier, and to nurse Nadia Nyamushara.
In lieu of flowers, donations to The Royal Ottawa Foundation for Mental Health, The Mission & Service Fund of The United Church of Canada, or the Canadian Cancer Society would be appreciated.
A grateful beneficiary of pioneering open-heart surgery by Dr. Wilfred Bigelow in the 1950s, Norma prearranged the donation of her body to the University of Ottawa’s Faculty of Medicine, to contribute to future medical research and training.
A service of thanksgiving for Norma’s life will be held at MacKay United Church on Saturday, May 1 at 4:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. Owing to COVID restrictions, the service will be streamed online. Connection details are now available at the top of this page.
Tributes
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May 1, 2021
May 1, 2021
Sympathy to Norma's family and to all who will miss her. Thanks for including us today in such a rich and touching tribute to Norma's life.
May 1, 2021
May 1, 2021
Peter and Cheryl,
So sorry to hear of your mother's passing. She was an amazing woman with a beautiful voice and her music lives on in her children and grandchildren. She was clearly very proud of her family. It was a moving service. Please accept our sincerest condolences.
Judy and John
So sorry to hear of your mother's passing. She was an amazing woman with a beautiful voice and her music lives on in her children and grandchildren. She was clearly very proud of her family. It was a moving service. Please accept our sincerest condolences.
Judy and John
May 1, 2021
May 1, 2021
Dear Peter and Cheryl,
I was so sorry to hear of your loss. The service was lovely, and your Mom sounded like someone I would have loved to have known. Virtual hugs.
I was so sorry to hear of your loss. The service was lovely, and your Mom sounded like someone I would have loved to have known. Virtual hugs.
May 1, 2021
May 1, 2021
Remembering my dear friend, Norma. Meeting her many years ago at a senior's singing group, together we enjoyed a special friendship. I'll miss her.
Sincerely
Sincerely
May 1, 2021
May 1, 2021
Peter and Cheryl,
Thinking of you today and sending love. It is so hard to lose a mother. It sounds sounds like she had a very interesting life and an amazing singing voice.
Thinking of you today and sending love. It is so hard to lose a mother. It sounds sounds like she had a very interesting life and an amazing singing voice.
April 29, 2021
April 29, 2021
Dear Peter and Cheryl and family
Holding you in light and love in this time of great loss. She sounds like a remarkable woman!
Holding you in light and love in this time of great loss. She sounds like a remarkable woman!
April 28, 2021
April 28, 2021
May God Bless Mona, Peter, Daniel, Ruth (Vijay) during this time of remembrance in celebration of Norma's beloved life. I am thinking of you all. In thought and in prayer, many Blessings...
Leave a Tribute
Recent Tributes
April 23, 2022
April 23, 2022
Blessings to you Peter and Cheryl and family as you grieve the life of a woman who has been so foundational in your lives.
May 1, 2021
May 1, 2021
Sympathy to Norma's family and to all who will miss her. Thanks for including us today in such a rich and touching tribute to Norma's life.
May 1, 2021
May 1, 2021
Peter and Cheryl,
So sorry to hear of your mother's passing. She was an amazing woman with a beautiful voice and her music lives on in her children and grandchildren. She was clearly very proud of her family. It was a moving service. Please accept our sincerest condolences.
Judy and John
So sorry to hear of your mother's passing. She was an amazing woman with a beautiful voice and her music lives on in her children and grandchildren. She was clearly very proud of her family. It was a moving service. Please accept our sincerest condolences.
Judy and John
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