Norman was a self employed fisherman who loved his job and being on the water. He was an avid outdoorsman who enjoyed hunting and fishing. He loved music, mainly AC/DC and Country but could often be found dancing to any song that was playing. Norman loved life and loved his family more than anything in the world, they were most important to him, especially his son, Nathan. He will be sadly missed by all who knew him and loved him.
Resting at the Seaview Full Gospel Church, Back Bay NB from where the service will be held on Wednesday at 2 pm with Rev. Gordon Cooke officiating. Visiting at the church will take place on Monday from 7-9 pm and on Tuesday from 2-4 and 7-9 pm. In Norman’s memory, donations to a charity of the donor’s choice would be appreciated by the family. Arrangements in the care of the St. George Funeral Home & Crematorium (755-3533) 26 Portage Street, St. George NB
thestar.com
http://www.thestar.com/news/article/1090327
Boy’s heroic efforts fail to
save dad in Bay of Fundy
Published On Tue Nov 22 2011
New Brunswick fisherman Norman Nathan Parker died Saturday after his boat
flipped in the Bay of Fundy after a hunting trip with his 10-year-old son.
He was 45.
Emily Jackson Staff Reporter
It was the last weekend of deer season, and 10-year-old Nathan Parker and
his dad, Norman, were on a hunting trip near their New Brunswick home.
The pair got off to an early start Saturday after spending the night camping
on the shores of the Bay of Fundy, famous for its powerful tides.
The tide was still out when they began their journey home in Parker’s
fishing boat.
But the vessel’s engine cut out on the rough, choppy waters near Frye
Island, a vacant 900-acre stretch of land near the coast.
Only one witness survived to describe what followed.
Norman Parker, 45, tried to steer the boat as close to shore as possible
before telling him to abandon ship. Nathan was wearing a life jacket; his
father was not.
Somehow, the fishing boat flipped, leaving Parker unconscious. Nathan pulled
his father onto the rocky island — his dad, a fisherman, had never learned
how to swim, family members said later.
The tides began to rise.
Nathan, desperate for help, had to get off the deserted island. The water
was still low enough for him to cross over to the mainland on foot. He told
authorities he walked to the closest place he knew — his aunt’s house, which
is about 5 kilometres from the island.
But in the hours it took the young boy to reach help, the tides came in.
By the time rescuers reached Frye Island after 3 p.m., Parker’s body had
been washed off the shores.
Fire services, fisherman and the coast guard were called to search for
Nathan’s dad. A local fisherman quickly pulled his body out of the water.
An autopsy confirmed drowning as the cause of death, RCMP said.
Nathan is doing “as well as can be expected” considering the circumstances,
said his grandmother, Melva Parker.
She and her family are mourning the death of her son, a self-employed
fisherman who loved his family.
“He was an avid fisherman,” Parker’s mother said by telephone from Back Bay,
N.B.
When he wasn’t outdoors, he liked to listen to music and dance, she said —
mostly to AC/DC and country music, according to an online memorial where
dozens of friends and relatives posted condolences.
“He was the most proud of his family, his kids,” she said.
In addition to Nathan, Parker leaves behind a stepdaughter, his parents,
girlfriend, two brothers, a sister and extended family.