Norma Alice (Anderson) Winsper, 88, died peacefully on Friday, September 23 under hospice care at Grayson House in Springfield, Massachusetts after a long illness. A New Bedford resident for many years, she was the widow of William J. Winsper III.
Norma, a daughter of Alexander and Christina (Clark) Anderson, both Scottish immigrants, was born and raised in Montreal, Canada where she was educated, first in Montreal schools and then at MacDonald College of McGill University. Upon earning an education degree, Norma's first assignment was to teach everything from arithmetic to music to children of varying ages in a two room schoolhouse in rural Quebec.
After marriage to Mr. Winsper, her beloved Bill, Norma moved to New Bedford where she raised her family and returned to teaching. Thus began a career in New Bedford Public Schools that lasted more than three decades. For many of those years, she taught fourth graders at the Betsy B. Winslow School, and then, after earning a bachelor's degree at UMass-Dartmouth, she became a creative and caring specialist for visually impaired students.
Norma was a communicant of St. Julie Billiart Church where she was an active member of the parish, serving as a Eucharistic minister, a singer in the Resurrection Choir , and a member of the Ladies' Guild. She was also a long time member of the Catholic Women's Club.
Norma led an active life with family and a circle of close friends. She was an avid reader, an excellent cook, and a proud Scot. A skier from her youth, Norma loved winter weekend trips to New Hampshire and Vermont. In later life, she took up golf, reluctantly at first, but then with gusto, and she enjoyed the many rounds she played at Hawthorne Country Club where was a member.
Norma is survived by her sons, David and wife, Pam Greene, of Holyoke, Massachusetts and Bruce and his wife, Loretta, of Virginia Beach, Virginia. Also by her grandchildren, Alec, Alanna Amorosso and her husband, Greg, and Kathleen Phelps and her husband, Chris. Also, by her brother, Clark Anderson. And lastly, by a great granddaughter, Raelyn Phelps, born just hours after Norma's passing. She will be missed by all of them and by her much loved nephews, Steven and Brian Bourne and niece, Janice Bourne-Collard, all of Canada.
Her Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Wednesday at 11:30 AM at St. Julie Billiart Church, Dartmouth. Burial will follow in St. Mary's Cemetery. Visiting hours are omitted. Memorial contributions may be made to The Alzheimer's Research Foundation, American Heart Association, Saint Julie Billiart Church, or any other charity of your choice. For directions and guestbook, please visit www.saundersdwyer.com.