Remembering You Dad
Norman Francis Varden
Born in 1919, August 11th
In Montreal, Quebec
Died May 16th, 2007 (87)
Ottawa, Ontario
He was a friend to others
Just a man to some
To me he was my hero
My father, my dad,
Grandfather to my sons
He passed away in May of 2007
It was his time to go, up to heaven
I think of him often
Throughout everyday
Missing him dearly
In so many ways
When I look back at the challenges he faced
Of raising me on his own
I have to admire him, as he could have said no
Couples had asked to adopt me
When my mother died
But he would not hear of this
He kept me by his side
Joined the Royal Canadian Navy
At the age twenty-one
His parents were proud
Of their middle son
We had our share of ups and downs
As many families do
Today I write this Poem Dad
To say, how proud I am of you
For raising me, as you did
At times, not an easy task
For all the love and care you gave
Rescuing me from harm
In oh so many ways
I have to thank you today
I hope that you can read this
From the heavens above
I know that you watch over me
I can still feel your love
Fought in World War II
Enlisted as a Stoker
In 1941
Serving on the Drumheller,
Stadacona, Cornwallis,
And a few other ones too
They were corvettes and minesweepers
Served until the end of World War II
Medals Include:
1935-45 Star
Atlantic Star
C.V.S.M. and Clasp
War Metal
I’ll always be your little girl
No matter what I do
I miss you Dad
I’ll always love you
Dad served on a ship called "The Orillia", in 1944, and by then he was a Petty Officer. The funny thing was in 1990 my family and I moved to Orillia. Dad never mentioned the names of the ships that he served on, but one would think that he would have made reference to The Orillia when he heard that I was moving there. A few years after he had died I was in the Legion with my mother-in-law having a beer. I spotted a picture on the wall and low and behold my dad was in the picture, standing aboard "The Orillia", with his shipmates. Shortly after that, I sent to Ottawa for his personnel records, and "HMCS The Orillia". was listed as one of the many ships he’d served on.
Dad was a choir boy and had a beautiful voice. I, as well as many other people, thought that he would have done really well if he’d pursued a singing career. He liked all types of music, and I remember when I was growing up, my friends loved the fact that he would never ask us to turn our music down when they would come by for a visit. It didn't matter to him, unless of course, he was watching one of his favorite shows on TV, such as Star Trek or an old western movie. I've included a video here, “Over The Rainbow”, a song that he used to sing all the time. This song brings tears to my eyes whenever I hear it.
Thank you for reading this tribute to my father. It is a long time over due. I hope that you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Veterans Affairs Canada
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English description / Description en anglais
© 2011 Susan Zutautas