Richard J. Normandin

Our beloved husband and father Richard J. Normandin of North Berwick, Maine passed away suddenly on Friday, August 25, 2023

Born to Rita M. Lefevre and Rudolph A. Normandin of Lowell, Massachusetts on April 24, 1953; and 1972 graduate of Chelmsford High School.  Shortly after graduation, Richard entered the U.S. Navy serving on the U.S.S. Constellation during the Vietnam War as a recovery technician.  He continued his service to our military as a ground support technician at Pease Airforce Base until 1985.

Championing his own educational path, Richard enrolled and graduated with an Associate Degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1992 from Southern Maine Technical College in South Portland, Maine. His leadership skills lead him to a teaching path where he shared his love of drafting and engineering as a student teacher for SMMTC.

For over 50 years, he challenged his curiosity for knowledge with a career path centered around technical innovation. He naturally navigated to any situation that required the use of his hands and expert problem-solving skills.  His final career was at Portland Valve Company as a mechanical engineer using CAD to design and manufacture parts for naval submarines.

When work was done, he and the family would pack up the F350 Ford truck with his camping gear and head to Scraggly Lake with the dog in tow, in search of the perfect outdoor adventure.

You could see him  in his trusty boat with his fishing pole on any given day at York Harbor, Kittery Point or trolling for stripers at midnight down the Piscataqua River.  It is here on the water that he fell in love with a blue and green crustacean called the "Maine Lobster."

Lobster bakes made famous by his coined " perfect baked lobster with a side of crispy crab cakes" are still famous in the family today.

He was a family man, outdoorsman, teacher, father, husband and seaman.  Most of all he was someone who you could count on the most to show up when the chips were down. 

Thank you for making our family the center of your world. We will be forever grateful for the traditions you created and the memories you designed for our dreams of you. We will miss your laugh, your smile but most of all we will miss the stories we shared together. This is not goodbye, it's " gone fishing."

Richard is survived by his wife Suzanne Normandin; twin daughters, Vicki Normandin and Patricia Crawford; sister, Rosemary Normandin; brothers, Randy, Ronald and Rudolph Normandin.

Military Service will be held, Thursday, September 7 at 2pm in the Southern Maine Veterans Cemetery, 83 Stanley Road, Springvale, ME.  A Celebration of life will follow at the North Berwick Community Center, 264 Lebanon Road, North Berwick, ME. Memorial Donations may be made to Another Chance Animal Shelter, P.O. Box 552, North Berwick, ME 03906.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Richard J. Normandin, please visit our floral store.