Norman BAKEHOUSE Obituary

Our beloved father, Norman Bakehouse, passed away peacefully at Victoria Hospice at the ripe old age of 100 with his two daughters by his side. He was predeceased by his wife of 69 years, Judy, in 2021 and is lovingly remembered by daughters Lesley Atherton (Lawrence) and Julie McCormick (Robert); granddaughters, Emily (Stephen), Katie (Ronan), Alexandra (Jordan) and Isabella (Kyle); and great-grandsons Maximus and Callahan.

Norman was an accomplished musician, teacher, collector of antique maps, enthusiastic traveler, lover of cars - his first being a brand new 1949 Studebaker Champion convertible, a gardener with two green thumbs, a keen stock market follower and a wonderful story-teller.

Norman grew up on a farm in Sigourney, Iowa along with his brother, Wilbur, and sister, Gloria. He often attributed his longevity to the fact there was "no transportation" as he walked 2 miles every day to a one room school house, occasionally suffering frozen feet in winter. He also overcame Scarlet and Rheumatic fevers, missing an entire year of high school. He claimed it was these obstacles early on that inspired a lifetime of positive attitude, energy and simple life habits. We suspect Baileys in his morning coffee later on didn't hurt either!

Anxious to leave the difficult farm life, Norman took up the trumpet in school, realizing this was his ticket out. A few years later, off he went to Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa to study music! But just 2 weeks into his first year, he was drafted into the U.S. Army to fight in the South Pacific during WWII. He brought his trumpet along and was tasked with 6 a.m. wake-up bugle calls on top of his many other duties. Norman often talked about his two years served in New Caledonia, New Guinea, the Philippines where he survived the "Battle of Leyte", and finally Yokohama, Japan. He was a very proud World War II Veteran.

After returning home from the war, Norman resumed his studies at Coe College, then went on to complete a Masters of Music Degree at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. Here, he met his wife, Judy, and upon completing his graduate work, they started a family together in nearby Highland Park. Norman taught Band in the Winnetka Public School System, sang in church choirs (he was an amazing tenor) and had many private students who went on to stellar careers. Evenings and weekends often found him playing in numerous orchestras, brass ensembles and jazz groups in the Chicago area where he had the privilege of performing with music greats Bobby Darren, Dennis Day, Jimmy Durante and Johnny Mathias to name a few.

A desire to move West and experience the great outdoors brought Norman and his family to Canada in 1974. He became the Director of Instrumental and Vocal Music at Prince George Secondary School as well as Principal Trumpet with the Prince George Symphony. Then in 1988, Norman and Judy retired to Victoria where they found a new, full life making many friends along the way. They enjoyed attending Victoria Symphony and Victoria Chamber Orchestra concerts, dining at their favourite restaurants, especially Fireside Grill, and creating special memories at the Victoria Golf Club's dining room with family. Norman even resumed light teaching in retirement at Queen Margaret's School in Duncan and Shawnigan Lake School. He continued performing trumpet and sang big band era tunes at the former McMorran's Restaurant in Cordova Bay and Beacon Hill's Band Shell. In 1997 he finally sold his Bach trumpet and called it quits, saying he was tired of practicing almost every day since age 12

In Norman's later years, he was truly remarkable. He always fostered a positive attitude, was extremely grateful for the smallest things in life and near the end stated "every day is appreciated as time goes by. What more could I ask for? Amen."

The family wishes to thank Norman's long-time physician, Dr. Dwight George Forster along with all the wonderful people at VIHA and Victoria Hospice for helping Norman in his last few weeks.

As per Norman's request, there will be no service.
Condolences may be left for the family at
www.firstmemorialsaanich.com