Norman Stepan
June 21st, 2021
Surrounded by the love of his family, Norm Stepan passed away on June 21, 2021, at age 86, after a life of accomplishment and adventure. He will be sadly missed by Rose, his loving wife of 63 years; his children Colleen (Jim) and their children Sydney (Stu), Tori, and Bret (Marc); Cathy (Gord) and their children Steve (Tricia), Erin (Justin), and Kevin (Ali); Jeff (Sandy) and their children Taylor (Mark), and their children Owen and Ellie, Jordan (Tessa), and Elyssa; Corrie (Barney); and Cheryl (Keith), and their children Mackenzie, Hannah, and Nola. Norm is survived by his sisters Mary and Theresa (Ed), and his brother Ed.
Family was everything to Norm and Norm was everything to his family, who will forever love and miss him and are grateful for his talents, wisdom, humour, and generosity. Norm led by example, looking to celebrate family birthdays, graduations, weddings, and on Fridays, happy hour. He loved to play board games on Sundays and rainy days, and card games (he was a whiz at Bridge) with family and friends. He made the most of vacation time with camping trips, travel to adventure parks and sunny climates, and trips overseas to visit family.
Norm attended Regina College, where he played for the college basketball team, and the University of Saskatchewan, where he earned his Bachelor of Commerce degree. He went on to become a Chartered Accountant. His career at SaskTel spanned three decades and many areas of the corporation, including finance and marketing, reflecting his diverse talents. Norm gave freely of his skills, volunteering for the first ever church council at Christ the King Parish, and helping manage the books for charities and sports organizations. He coached, umped, applauded, and cheered for his children and grandchildren at gyms, rinks, auditoriums, and fields. An accomplished ball player, Norm played many sports himself. He golfed, curled, skied and kept active, walking every day, greeting the people he befriended in the neighbourhood.
Norm was a handyman, tackling home repair with enthusiasm and ingenuity, never letting perfection stand in the way of getting the job done. With the help of family and friends, he constructed a cottage at Katepwa Lake that stands proud as a gathering place for his growing family. He loved spending summers at Katepwa, sailing, golfing, fishing, enjoying a rum or ice cream with family or playing with his 12 grandkids. In the winter, he would round up the family for ski trips to the mountains and generously took his entire family to Maui, not once, but twice, where he enjoyed boogie boarding as much as his grandchildren. His love of carpentry, the cottage, and of downhill skiing – like so many of his other passions – have been passed along to his kids and will form part of his loving legacy.
Despite being a Type 1 diabetic, Norm never complained about medical challenges, taking every burden in stride. He was strong and fiercely independent until the end, opening the cottage this spring, helping family with construction projects, and golfing with his kids as recently as last summer.
Special thanks to Dr. Morris and the compassionate caregivers at the Pasqua Hospital, the Regina General Hospital, and Grace Hospice. In lieu of flowers, donations to JDRF Canada are appreciated: www.jdrf.ca
A Private Family Funeral Mass will be held on Friday, June 25, 2021 at 11:00 a.m. To view the service livestream please go to https://youtu.be/YYpxIeOcAZ8 (a recorded version will be available after the service)
Messages:
Dear Rose, Colleen, Cathy, Jeff, Corrie, and Cheryl. We were so very sorry to read of Norm's passing. May you feel the the presence of God's healing comfort and grace. We keep you in our prayers.
Dear Aunt Rose and my Cousins. Sharon and I we so sorry to hear the news of Uncle Norm's celestial transfer. As a fellow diabetic Uncle Norm would always relay the latest news and the newest gadgets (which he always had) wrt diabetes and the control of it to me. We would always laugh 'cause he would always say eventually AB's healthcare system (when I lived there) would catch up to SK's in the coverage of diabetic supplies. He never ever let his diabetes slow him down and his drive to control/beat it was contagious - to me. He was a man who loved family, laughter, and always - a good joke. He will be missed by those he touched but he will be remembered more in perpetuity by those that truly knew him. Our thoughts and prayers are with you. Glenn and Sharon
Dear Rose and family, My deepest sympathy to all of you in the loss of Norm. My thoughts and prayers are with you at this sad time. God bless you all.
Jeff, Sandy and family, please accept my sincerest condolences. Take care.
Rose and Family, We are saddened to hear of Norm’s passing. Norm was a dear friend of many years. Our condolences to all
Rose and Family: Loreena and I were saddened to hear of Norm’s passing. Our condolences to you. We know that the many wonderful memories of Norm will bring comfort and peace to you, as you celebrate his life. Take care.
We are so sorry to hear of Norm's passing. We pray for God's comfort and solace at this time. It was so good to have Norm join the Bridge players and he will be missed.
Rose and family. Losing someone you so deeply love creates a hurt that at time feels like you may never move forward again. May you take comfort in the memories you shared and the wonderful father and husband Norm was. May you celebrate Norm's life and take pride in the wonderful legacy he left with every one. Our loving thoughts and prayers are with you as you journey forward. Tim and Leona MacLeod
Condolences to our cousin Rose and family. It's sad news, although it's been awhile his memory brings to mind the family occasions when we shared Norm's kindness and interest in whatever we were doing. Pat & Joyce Laturnus
Condolences to the Stepan family. I did not know Norman that well but remember him as kind person. Ken Laturnus Coldstream BC
I am saddened to read of Norm’s passing. I remember his friendly smile and hearty laugh and the good times at Katepwa lake. Thoughts and prayers to Rose and your family. Gina (Laturnus)
Dear Rose: I am so sorry to learn of Norm's passing. We go back a long way right from elementary school. I am thinking of you and your family and remembering you in my prayers.
Sorry to hear of your loss. My heart goes out to you.
I am sorry to hear of Norm's passing. I will keep all of the family in my prayers. There are quite a few girls in the Frank and Theresa Kambeitz family,(five) and I am the one who put together the Klein Family book "Roses in Winter". My love of genealogy and family stories runs deep. God bless you Rose and family.
Dear Rose and Families, Our condolences to you Rose and your family. May Norman rest in peace. Eternal rest grant unto him O lord, and let perpetual light shine on him Amen. God be with you all.
Please accept our condolences on behalf of all the Kennedy family. Our families have touched base many times over the years and for this we were blessed. May Norm find peace and happiness in the hands of God. Phyllis & Harvey Kennedy
Dear Rose and Family. It was with great sadness that I learned of Norms Passing and Anita and I wish to extend our deepest sympathy to you all. Last week at our monthly Campion meeting Nick Kaufman told us what happened.Norm has been in our prayers ever since.Now that he is in Heaven we will pray for all of you. Fred Wagmang
Dear Aunt Rose and all cousins, We were saddened to hear the news about Uncle Norm. I have many great memories of him and how he loved to always be around with all the kids and just have fun. Lots of laughs. Our thoughts and prayers are with you all at this time. Love you all Carol & Brad Ens
Sincere sympathy in the loss of Norm. He was my first manager at SaskTel and I enjoyed working with him over the years. I occasionally met him when he was on his walks in the neighborhood or at the mall and he always stopped for a visit. May your memories bring comfort in the days ahead.
Aunt Rose & Family - I am so sorry for your loss. Uncle Norm was a big reason that I became a Chartered Accountant. I will always remember his smile and the laugh, and the pride he took in the family. I know he will be greatly missed by all those that he touched and I think a poem from one of my favorite modern-day poets says it best... "There are pieces of you in all the things you have loved. This is how we will live forever" - Blake Auden Sending you and the family a big hug from south of the 49th.
Aunt Rose and family, our hearts are saddened by Uncle Norms passing. To have such a testament to his wonderful life must be comforting, a role model for us all. He was always soft spoken and smiling. It seems so long ago when we were all togeather, but I’ll always remember the “good old” days.
The Cunnin family is grateful to dwell in memories of the Stepan family, sharing experiences at Katepwa and in Regina. Norm’s super sense of humour prevailed over the years, sustaining Des and I while raising our own five. Blessed be ….. Shirley Cunnin
Dear aunt Rose & family, Even though we did not get a chance to visit very often in the last couple of years I still have fond memories of our time that we did spend both at your cottage and at the house. Uncle Norm was a man who enjoyed life to the fullest. He was a very good role model and I’m sure that through his children and grandchildren his legacy for life will continue on. Take care of each other at this time and know that we are thinking of you all.
To the Stepan Family It's with our deepest heartfelt sympathy to hear about the loss of Norm.The first time Paul and I met him at Cheryl and Keiths he was truly a pleasure to be around and he made us feel like part of the family instantly. His smile and laughter lite up the room. Every time Rose and Norm came to Ontario we tried to get a visit in with them. He will truly be missed by everyone he touch. God Bless you all .
What a warm and beautiful tribute this is to a great man. Deepest condolences, Cheryl, and to your entire family.
Dear Aunt Rose and Cousins, We send you our sincerest condolences to you on Uncle Norm's passing. It is never easy to lose a loved one so unexpectedly! Even though we did not get much time to spend with you all, we remember being embraced by that love of family of which you spoke of in Uncle Norm's obituary. We remember Uncle Norm always having a big smile on his face and being generous with his laughter! He will be missed. Our prayers go out to you, we are with you in thought even though we cannot be with you in person. All our love to you. Fran, Ken, Matt & Andrew Parsons
Sorry to hear about Uncle Norm. I will always remember his smile and the enthusiasm and excitement he exhibited when talking with or playing with us when we visited. Our thoughts and condolences are with with Aunt Rose and family.
To the Stepan family, Our one regret is that we never got to meet Norm. We have heard many stories from Jordan, sounds like he was an amazing man. Your family is in our thoughts and prayers. Kris and Santhy Vibe
For Aunt Rose and my cousins: We were very sorry to hear about the passing of Uncle Norm, he will be missed by our family as well, he was always very involved with us as kids whenever we came back to Regina to visit. We have lots of great memories and will be thinking of your family during this difficult time. Our thoughts and prayers are with you all. Take care and love from us Duane, Allyn and family
Dear Rose and Family, I am thinking of all of you as you miss your dear husband, dad, Grampa Norm. He was a wonderful man of whom I have very fond memories. Love and prayers, Maureen.