Norman Alphonse Dumais

Norm was born on March 15, 1932, in Southbridge, Mass. The son of Leda and Joseph Dumais, he was the youngest of a family of eight children.

Upon graduation from Southbridge High School, Norm enlisted in the Navy and served in Guam from 1952-54, where he worked in communications, intercepting morse code from Chinese and Russian military.

After his service, he returned to Southbridge, reconnecting with Lorraine Robert, whom he had known throughout his schooling. They fell in love and married to the sound of fireworks on July 4, 1955. Over the following 11 years, Norm and Lorraine bore eight children.

In 1955, Norm took a job at American Optical, a manufacturing company in Southbridge. He transferred to their Keene plant in 1961, moving his family to a home on Forest Street.

Norm started his career at American Optical cutting and delivering leather, but management quickly recognized Norm’s talents for strategic thinking, creativity and hard work, and he was promoted systematically over the course of his career, eventually entering management himself. Norm was tapped for a special mission in the 1960s – a U.S. government contract engineering lenses for Sidewinder missile guidance, a project for which he was sworn to secrecy.

In 1985, during a wave of middle-management layoffs across the U.S., Norm was part of a reduction in force at American Optical. Ever resourceful, he started his own company, Electronics Aid, with a colleague. For over 10 years, until Norm’s retirement, the Marlborough, N.H.-based company served the manufacturing sector with printed circuit boards and other electronic needs, employing over a dozen people.

In 1991, after their children were grown and gone, Norm and Lorraine moved to a condo at Windsor Court in Keene, where they spent many happy years. During their retirement, they often wintered at Flagler Beach in Florida, becoming well-acquainted with alligators, turtles and egrets. In 2023, they moved to an independent-living apartment at Keene’s Langdon Place.

Norm loved to play golf and watch every type of sport on TV (he used to have two TVs going so he didn’t have to choose one game over another). An amateur furniture builder, he enjoyed working with his hands, providing toy boxes, desks and other wooden objects for his children. He was an avid investor and diligently followed the stock market. He also had a passion for singing, performing for many years in Keene’s barbershop chorus, The Cheshiremen, and his church choir.

Most important to Norm was his faith. A devoted Roman Catholic, he attended and supported St. Bernard Church and St. Margaret Mary Church. He served as a Eucharistic minister for many years at Cheshire Medical Center. He went on several pilgrimages to Canada, visiting holy sites. His faith was his rock and solace.

Norm is survived by his wife of 69 years, Lorraine, and his eight children and their spouses, Jeff (and Diane) Dumais of Epsom, N.H.; Julie Nigro of Keene, N.H.; Joan (and John) Ouellette of Strafford, N.H.; John-Michael Dumais of Keene, N.H.; Rick (and Susan) Dumais of Midlothian, Tex.; Clifford Dumais of Roanoke, Va.; Robert (and Jean) Dumais of Greenland, N.H.; and Susan Dumais of Strafford, N.H. He is also survived by 10 grandchildren and five great grandchildren.

At Norm’s request, there will be no calling hours. A mass of Christian burial will be celebrated in St. Bernard Church, 185 Main Street, Keene, on Tuesday, July 2, 2024, at 11:30am. Burial with Navy honors will follow in the St. Joseph Cemetery, Lower Main Street, Keene.

In lieu of flowers, those who wish may donate in Norm’s memory to St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry, c/o Parish of the Holy Spirit, 173 Main Street, Keene, NH 03431.