On June 10, just as the sun was setting, Norma Josephine Obljubek (nee Zamic) took her final breath. She was surrounded by her adoring family who now honour her life. Norma was 87 years old and residing at Hogarth Riverview Manor at the time of her death.
Born in Port Arthur, ON to Danica (Yukick) and Konstantin Zamic (aka Anne and Stan), Norma was a kind, warm-hearted spirit from the start. Norma’s earliest memories were of a trip to Brela, Croatia with her mother and older sister that turned into a seven-year ordeal with the outbreak of WWII. Trapped overseas and exposed to starvation and enemy occupation, Norma later retold stories of hardship through a romanticized lens.
This knack for finding the good in everything endured throughout her life. After the war, they returned to Canada, reuniting with their father Stan and soon welcomed the birth of her younger brother, Rene. At school, Norma and her sister Mary Jane had to catch up to their peers with relearning to speak English.
She graduated from Hillcrest High School, followed by working at a bank. In 1962, the beautiful young woman with big brown eyes caught the attention of Mirko, and the two married on November 17, 1962. Soon they had three children - Sonja, Mark and Dana.
Norma poured herself into motherhood, making sure her children were exposed to a variety of art, culture, music, sports and community activities all in the spirit of curiosity and adventure. Norma and Mirko raised their children in the Catholic fa.