George Norman Zwarich

Aug. 6, 1934 – June 26, 2022

Norman George Zwarich passed away June 26, 2022, at the age of 88, at his Westsyde home in Kamloops after battling serious medical issues for the past few months.    He will be sorely missed by his wife, Pat, his children and numerous relatives and friends.

Norman was born in Kamloops on Aug. 6, 1934, in Kamloops and raised in Monte Lake. There, he attended the one-room school where he met his future wife Pat. They were married on Dec. 31, 1955, in Kamloops. They continued to reside in Monte Lake when their four children were born. He and his family moved to Westsyde in the mid-1960s, built a new house in 1972 and continued to reside there till the end.

Norman is survived by Pat, his wife of 66 years, two daughters: Jeannette and Cheryl and three grandchildren Curtis, Adam and Zachary. Also surviving are two sisters, Audrey and Linda, as well as one brother Ronald. He was predeceased by his parents George and Jennie Zwarich and two children: Laurel and Lawrence, as well as three brothers: Clarence, Andrew and Alexander Michael and his sister Sonja.

Norman’s working life was mostly associated with the logging industry. Interestingly, when he first started to work in the industry, teams of horses were used to skid logs to a location where they were then loaded onto trucks. Norman’s early introduction to working in the woods was as one of those Teamsters. He soon moved on to driving a logging truck — firstly for other owners, and when his entrepreneurial spirit kicked in, he bought his own truck. Until his retirement, he hauled logs for many years for Weyerhaeuser Kamloops.

Outdoor activities were among his other interests, including hunting and especially fishing the many lakes and rivers in the Kamloops area. When his kids were young, he also enjoyed snowmobiling in the mountains. Norman and Pat did go exploring in their camper to Haida Gwaii and Alaska. He was also an avid sports fan, making trips to Vancouver and Edmonton to watch live hockey and football games.

In keeping with Norman’s wishes, there will be no service or celebration of life.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Norman’s name to the Heart and Stroke Foundation.