Norma Elizabeth Bascombe's Obituary
Norma Elizabeth Bascombe of Fort Myers, Florida went to be with her Lord & Savior on September 6th, 2023. Norma was born on January 10th, 1936 in Kingston, Jamaica the daughter of the late great Oscar and Christine Powell. She was the sixth of 15 siblings, loving wife to Hartel Bascombe and mother to Claudia Brown & Hazel Jackson. Grandmother to Matthew Hawkins, Joshua Jackson & Victoria Jackson.
As a young girl in Jamaica, her family called her Sharer because she loved to share with everyone. Norma loved to cook for her family, she would start crying if someone took her place. Everyone that came to our home knew that they would be well fed, Norma was wicked in the kitchen.
At 23 she left Jamaica for London, England to join her sister Pauline Jones where she worked in a factory and later aspired to be a hairdresser. In London she worked hard to provide for her family back in Jamaica. In 1977, she moved to Hartford, Connecticut to join her parents and family. She worked at Brookview Convalescent home as a nurse’s aide until 1990 when she moved to Uniondale, New York. In New York she worked at Hempstead Hospital until her retirement in 2000. Thereafter retiring in Fort Myers, Florida.
Norma was a very generous person; she was always willing to help her family, including her neighbors. She was a wonderful daughter; she took care of her parents until their passing.
In 1969 she met the love of her life Hartel Bascombe and together they would complete their interests and passions. She loved to party with her friends and travel with her husband and grandson Matthew. Norma traveled to every Caribbean Island including Cuba. She visited 49 states, 6 continents, Turkey, Greece, Italy, Spain, Japan, Singapore, Australia, Denmark, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, India, St. Petersburg Russia, and a host of other countries too much to mention. Her loss will be felt by many, but she was blessed to live 87 years on this earth and lived a fulfilled life.
Norma is survived by her beloved husband Hartel, daughters Claudia & Hazel, grandchildren Matthew, Joshua & Victoria. Four sisters, Margo Smolinski (Henry) of Windsor, CT, Amy Jarrett of Plantation, FL, Yvonne Squires & Eleanor Walters, both of Ontario, Canada, Oswald Powell of Brooklyn, NY, Peter Powell of Fort Lauderdale FL, sister in laws Brigid Powell, Sonia Powell and over 70 nieces and nephews. Her cousins, the Tummings family, In Laws from the Bascombe, Beckles, Gittens & Phillips family.
Norma is reunited in Heaven with her daughter Claudette Powell Brown, her father and mother Oscar and Christine Powell, sisters Hazel Powell, Pauline Jones, Dorothy Gayle, brothers Vernon Powell, Gladstone Powell, Barrington Tony Powell, and Basil Powell. Brother-in-law Clarence Jarrett, grandnephews Justin Powell and Jamile Whittingham.
A Funeral Service for Norma will be celebrated at 12:30 PM on Saturday, September 23, 2023 inside the Chapel at Fort Myers Memorial Gardens Funeral Home, 1589 Colonial Boulevard, Fort Myers, Florida 33907, (239) 936-0555. Guests will be received for a period of Visitation for an hour and a half prior to this ceremony beginning at 11:00 AM also inside the funeral home chapel. At the conclusion of these services, family and friends will recess to adjacent Memorial Gardens Cemetery where Norma will be laid to rest at her Crypt located inside the Mausoleum within the Garden of Serenity.
For those who were unable to attend Norma's Funeral personally, the family welcomes you to view a recorded broadcast of this ceremony through the internet.. Those who wish to watch Norma's ceremony need only to click the link below. This link will be active for 30 days following the conclusion of Norma's funeral and will expire on October 22, 2023 :-
https://viewneral.zoom.us/rec/play/7jISBCVDANUmjNUvdPSfFMEXZbXpMvkhK2hVtSAZHiCUxKCGbe1qXmKYKAS4b24uohdAWeg_m_nYnUJZ.swK-An_gjvsCisox
In lieu of flowers, Norma's family requests that memorial contributions be offered instead to her favorite charity, Boys Town, an organization that for over 100 years has been dedicated to changing the way America cares for children and families by offering tools for kids in crisis, providing treatment for complex health care conditions and by helping families find the parenting resources they need. Donations can be made in Norma's memory by contacting Boys Town at 14100 Crawford Street, Boys Town, Nebraska 68010, (531) 355-1300 or through the internet at:- https://support.boystown.org/site/Donation
To share a story or photo, leave a tribute or to offer condolences to the family at this difficult time please visit Norma's memorial webpage at www.fortmyersmemorial.com and sign her guestbook.
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