Norma Isaacs (née Poole) passed away unexpectedly in Haliburton, Ontario, after spending a wonderful day with her husband Ray, on May 12, 2026. They had just celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary six days before.

Norma was born in Cape Town, South Africa, in 1936. She met Ray in Cape Town, and they married in 1961. They immigrated to Canada and arrived in Toronto in July 1967, with two young children and a third on the way. When her kids reached high school, she returned to school to get her BA from the University of Toronto, studying the Humanities, on which she placed great importance. After raising their family in Toronto, they moved to Haliburton in 2006.

Norma was always very active in the community. For many years, she was a passionate volunteer teacher of ESL, working with refugee communities in Scarborough. Ultimately, she supervised two ESL programs for the City of Scarborough and received official recognition from the city for her work. And in Haliburton, she volunteered for the Grandmothers to Grandmothers Campaign and supported many local organizations and initiatives.

Norma was energetic and dynamic, with an adventurous spirit. She loved walking, tai chi, swimming, cooking, reading, listening to music, and being around other people. She hosted countless parties and large dinners for family and friends with effortless grace, always making people feel welcome and at home. She and Ray were part of a gourmet group with 3 other couples (the Doucettes, Sharaputs, and Walkers) that met regularly for over 30 years. She had a passion for gardening and a talent for knitting and quilting. She and Ray travelled extensively throughout their lives, including trips to Europe and Africa, cruises to Alaska and the Baltics, driving themselves all the way to Mexico, as well as across Canada. Many of these trips entailed bringing along three young children. She was an avid reader and always had a pile of books beside her. When she wasn’t on the phone chatting with her grandchildren, her sister, or a friend, you would often find her with her nose in a book or the newspaper. She loved jazz and classical music, going to concerts, the opera, and the theatre.

Norma placed the highest priority on her family. She will be deeply missed by her beloved husband, Ray, children Barry (Janine), Tracy (Diane), and David (Ruby), treasured grandchildren Cameron (Megan), Liam (Michael), Devin, great grandson Jaylen, sister Rene in Switzerland, cousins Geoff (Linda) and Mike (late Ann-Marie) and the entire Poole family, the Isaacs and Van der Ross families in South Africa, and cousins Jill and Lesley in Australia. 

The family, especially Ray, would like to thank the emergency room staff at Haliburton Hospital and the paramedics for their professionalism and compassion.

Celebration of Life

A Celebration of Norma's life will take place on Monday, May 25th, 2026, at 1:00 p.m. at HALIBURTON COMMUNITY FUNERAL HOME, 13523 Hwy. #118 Haliburton, ON K0M 1S0 (Visitation 1 hour prior). For those unable to join us in person, a Livestream of the Celebration of Life will be available through Zoom. To access the Zoom Livestream, please click HERE. You must have an account with Zoom to access the stream. As an expression of sympathy, donations in Norma's memory can be made to SIRCH Community Services or the Haliburton Highlands Health Services Foundation, both of which Norma supported, and would be greatly appreciated.

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