Norman Rohde Vester, Jr.
Norman Rohde Vester, Jr. (1936-2020) passed away on April 26, 2020, with his treasured family by his side. He was a Florida resident with homes and friends in Bonita Springs, FL; Craigville, MA; and St. Albans Bay, VT.
Norman is survived by his wife of 63 years, Nancy Norwood Vester, his children, Vaughn Beth Vester, Granger (Sara)Vester, Heidi Vester Silman (husband Joshua), and Gretchen (Greg)Maskell. He was predeceased by his son Norman Rohde Vester, III, and his parents Norman Rohde Vester, Sr. and Doris Phelps Vester.
Norm is also survived by his grandchildren, Brooke Grisgraber and husband Fred, Benjamin Bombard and wife Jes, Sadie Bombard, Samuel Bombard, Eli Silman, Graham Silman, Calypso Martin, Levi Martin, Ryan Maskell, and wife Brandi, and Kyle Maskell. His great-grandchildren are Natalie MacKenzie, Wyatt Bombard, Maesie Bombard, and Sophie Maskell.
Norm was an avid fisherman. He loved the estuary and gulf waters of Florida, the open ocean at Cape Cod, and the cold waters of Lake Champlain. He enjoyed bridge, and was a skilled golfer, most recently a member of San Carlos Golf Club and the Barnstable Fairgrounds Golf Course, and will be missed by golfing friends at the Lake Champlain Country Club. He was a talented artist, with paint and stone, and was especially committed to environmental issues. Norm was most proud of his family, and his legacy at the FGCU Vester Marine Lab.
He was a graduate of Suffield Academy and Amherst College. Norm’s professional life held many pursuits and endeavors, including his refractory business, Real Estat,e and investments. Norm was an idea man and often suggested ideas for others to follow through on. He was generous to all he knew and boring to none. He was a complex man of strength, stature, and generosity.
He will be laid to rest in a private ceremony in the St. Albans Bay Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, contributions in Norm’s name can be made to his 6th child, FGCU Foundation at 10501 FGCU Boulevard So., Fort Myers, FL 33965, in support of the Vester Field Station.
Assisting the Vester family is the Heald Funeral Home. To offer a message of condolence or to share a memory, kindly go to Norm’s online guestbook at www.healdfuneralhome.com.
