JOHN WILLIAM NORBERG

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JOHN WILLIAM NORBERG July 18, 1923 - October 8, 2014 On October 8, 2014 at the age of 91, John William (Bill) Norberg passed away in Markdale, Ontario, after a courageous battle against leukemia. He was a loving father, grandfather, great-grandfather, uncle and friend to many. Born on July 18, 1923, he was the son of the late William and Margaret Norberg of Winnipeg. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his wife Audrey and a brother Victor. Left to cherish his memory are his sister, Margaret Birtle (husband William), of Kitchener, Ontario; his four sons, Donald Victor (wife Germaine), of Sanford, Manitoba, Jon Eric (wife Christine), of Markdale, Ontario, William Gerald (wife Casey), of Hickory, North Carolina, and Johannes Robert of Markdale, Ontario, his 11 grandchildren Tara (Pat), Genevieve, Kathleen, Cormack, Christopher (Samara), Alexander (Melissa), Heida (Kyle), Kirsten, Jeremiah (Katie), Kristopher, Candace, and two great-grandchildren, Gabriel and Oren. Bill grew up in Winnipeg and attended Kelvin High School. At the age of 17 he started work with Trans Canada Air Lines, as a technician in the instrument shop. Through his work at TCA, Bill met his future wife, Audrey, they were married in August of 1945. Their love affair lasted for 65 years, until her passing on July 2, 2010. Bill also loved flying. At six years of age his father took him to the Winnipeg Aerodrome, to witness the legendary Charles Lindburgh, as he toured North America celebrating his world record solo flight across the Atlantic. Bill flew solo over Winnipeg in January 1942, and earned his Pilot's License, in an open cockpit De-Havilland Gypsy Moth. He had only had eight hours of flight instruction, and the temperature that day was -32 F (without wind chill). As his career progressed with Air Canada, he rose from the floor of the instrument shop to become Vice President of the Aircraft Maintenance Division, by the age of 49. As VP he represented Air Canada at global conferences of the International Air Transport Association, (IATA). He also served as aviation consultant to several Caribbean airlines, the Government of Tanzania, and provincial carriers in China. He retired from Air Canada in April, 1983, after 43 years of service. He took pride in his contribution towards making Air Canada a world class airline. When Bill was promoted to head the Maintenance Division, a mentor and future CEO of Air Canada, Claude Taylor, offered two pieces of advice. The first was, "Always remember that we're never as good as we think we are", and the second part was," ...See it for yourself". Those sentiments were taken to heart and became a cornerstone of "Bill's Philosophy". They were shared repeatedly with others during his life. Another enduring quote came from his father, who said, "Bill, always have time for your friends", and he always did. Bill will be deeply missed by all of us who knew him. Audrey and Bill have been reunited in Heaven. Sometimes a sad departure is required, for an old spirit to be reborn in the heart of a child.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Aug 22, 2015