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To the people of Wakefield, Que., Norma Walmsley (BCom'50)聽was a town "matriarch" who spearheaded the campaign to rebuild the community's cherished covered bridge after it burned down in 1984. To many others, she was an impassioned advocate for the advancement of women in the developing world, and she played a key role in laying the groundwork of today's international aid and development community in Canada.

But to her close friends and family, Norma is also remembered for her vibrant personality and zest for life.

"She liked to dance. She liked to swap stories. She had a great sense of humour. She was really engaging all the time," said longtime friend and colleague Richard Harmston.

Walmsley died Jan. 6 in the Wakefield Hospital. She was 90.

Her funeral was so well attended that her great-nephew David Ireland had to wire the church so the service could be broadcast live to more than 100 people packed in the basement. "She's always had a large influence on us," said Ireland. "She was one of a kind."

Walmsley was born in Elm Creek, Man., on April 10, 1920. Her father was a veteran of the First World War, and her grandfather was a British officer who had served in India during the latter years of the 19th century. Ireland said Walmsley's grandfather was "the biggest influence on her out of anybody in the old days."

This led her to enthusiastically enlist in the Women's Division of the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1941. She was the 74th woman to do so, and before the war was out, she rose to the rank of Officer in Charge of Women's Division Supplies for Canada and Overseas.

Read full article: , February 6, 2011