Obituary: Norma T. McLeod
April 12, 1935 – April 26, 2024
May 3, 2024
Norma T. McLeod, 1935– 2024
Norma Lois (Taylor) McLeod, 89, passed away peacefully in her sleep on the morning of Friday, April 26, 2024, at The Arbors in Shelburne, Vermont. She was born April 12, 1935, at Heaton Hospital in Montpelier, Vermont, to Miriam L. Dailey and Ralph F. Taylor of Montpelier.
Norma graduated from Montpelier High School in 1953. She attended Wheelock College in Boston where she was quickly given the nickname “Sunny” due to her shining light and sunny disposition. She graduated with the class of 1957, earning a bachelor’s degree in education. She spent the next nine years teaching kindergarten in New York state and Connecticut.
She married Robert “Bob” McLeod (1936-2023) of Montpelier on June 20, 1959, upon his graduation from the U.S. Naval Academy. After finishing his Naval service, the couple returned to Vermont, moving into their scenic house on Perry Hill in Waterbury in 1967.
Norma cherished their Perry Hill home and spent countless hours tending to the home and gardens. She had a special affinity for mowing and loved a big, juicy burger and (at least!) a couple of ears of corn after a hard day working on the homestead.
Norma also worked as a receptionist for several businesses in town, including dentists, doctors, and the Waterbury Municipal Office. Always the cheerleader (“Montpelier High School- Rah, Rah, Rah!”), Norma loved these public-facing positions where she could keep up to date on everyone’s activities, challenges, and achievements. She was quick to offer a kind word or a sympathetic ear. She loved the interconnectedness of small-town life.
Norma was a devoted member of the Waterbury Congregational Church where she spent decades singing in the choir. Every June she would scour the meadows and gardens near her home to provide fresh flowers for the Strawberry Festival.
Music was a lifelong passion for Norma. In addition to the church choir, she sang in the chorus in high school, and was part of an a cappella group in college (they even cut an album!). There was always music playing in their home, and in the last years and months of her life, music provided great comfort for Norma.
Her tight-knit friend-turned-family group was very active and social. She was a founding member of the Perry Hill Tennis Club where the “neighborhood” gathered for some friendly competition, and some fierce mixed-doubles action. She was an avid cross-country skier and loved skating, sledding, golf and hiking.
Ultimately, Norma’s most-loved role was “Grandma.” A day at Grandma’s included digging in the dirt, telling stories, singing songs, doing crafts, playing dress-up and make-believe, rides in the wheelbarrow, trips to the reservoir to swim, skiing, skating, making snow forts… and exhausted kiddos at the end of the day! She would often make up elaborate scavenger hunts, full of clever riddles and clues, and she loved a good game of “Mother May I” or “Red Light/Green Light” on the front lawn. No matter the season, there was always fun to be had in the kitchen; be it smashing up fresh applesauce in the fall, baking a gargantuan gingerbread man for the holidays, or just mixing some Hershey’s chocolate syrup into a tall glass of milk.
She attended every school and sporting event, dance recital, awards ceremony, and graduation she could- always clapping and cheering, supportive and encouraging.
Norma is loved and mourned by her children Julia Garufi of Waterbury and Stephen McLeod of Starksboro; son-in-law Roger Garufi and daughter-in-law Jodi (Berglass) McLeod; grandchildren Fiona Garufi, Heather Garufi, William McLeod and Rhiannon McLeod; several nieces, nephews and grandnephews; and countless neighbors and community members. She was recently predeceased by her loving husband of 64 years, Bob.
Norma was an exceptionally kind soul who touched the hearts of all who met her.
A celebration of the life of Norma Lois McLeod will be held from the Waterbury Congregational Church on Saturday, June 22, at 1 p.m. , followed by a reception in the church's dining room. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to Central Vermont Home Health & Hospice, UVM Home Health & Hospice, or Waterbury Congregational Church. To send online condolences, please visit perkinsparker.com.