Norma Anne Desautels, 71, died peacefully on Friday, June 8, 2012, surrounded by her family. Born March 31, 1941 in Brewer, Maine, she was the daughter of the late Perly and Merle Robertson Howe. She graduated from Brewer High School in 1959. Prior to her retirement, Norma enjoyed great satisfaction as a Library Media Specialist at both Buckley and Robertson elementary schools in Manchester, Conn., where she educated and inspired a love of reading in many children.
Norma enjoyed reading, gardening and antiquing and was a collector of Hall teapots.. She enjoyed spending time with her cat, "Little Diva." She was an enthusiastic fan of the University of Connecticut Lady Huskies basketball team. She was especially fond of spending time with her children and grandchildren at the ocean, her favorite beaches being Cape Cod and Edisto Beach.
Norma touched the lives of many people with her unyielding generosity and empathy for others as well as her keen sense of humor and overwhelmingly positive view of life.
She is survived by her beloved husband, James Desautels of Irmo; her daughter, Kimberly West Mehl and her husband James of Irmo; her son, Christopher West and his wife Donna of Hudson, Mass.; her son, James Desautels of Manchester, Conn.; her son, Michael Desautels and his wife Jodi of Manchester, Conn.; her daughter, Michele Desautels Wiener and her husband Ross of Windsor, Conn; her son, Stephen Desautels and his fiancée Ellen Swider of Manchester, Conn.; two sisters, Priscilla Goodine of Irmo and Deborah Gardner of Whitneyville, Maine; seventeen grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Ms. Norma and her family would like to extend their most sincere gratitude to the staff of 8th floor Oncology at Lexington Medical Center for their wonderful care and friendship.
A celebration of Norma's life is planned for a later date in Connecticut. There are no services in South Carolina. Dunbar Funeral Home, Dutch Fork Chapel, is assisting the family.
The family requests that memorials be made to American Cancer Society, 128 Stonemark Lane, Columbia, SC 29210.
Please sign the online guestbook at www.dunbarfunerals.com.
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