Norman A. Gaudet

Norman A. Gaudet a resident of Newton since 1966, died at the Newton Wellesley Hospital on Feb 2, 2019. He was 94.

Norman was the devoted husband of the late Dorothea (Regan) Gaudet. Loving father of Norman A. Jr. and his wife Stacy of Phoenix AZ, John T. of HI, and Emily R. Antonoff and her husband William of Bedford. Dear “Papa” of Danny, Emmy, Tommy and Nicki. Brother of the late A.J. John, Eugene and Robert, and survived by many nieces and nephews.

Norman was born in Amesbury and attended Sacré Coeur, a bilingual school. He graduated from Amesbury High School in 1943 and enlisted in the Army. He served with the 86th Division in France, Germany and the Philippines.  After the war, he attended Boston College and graduated with his Bachelor of Arts in French in 1950.  In 1951, he earned his Master of Arts in Teaching from Harvard’s School of Education. He then served in Korea from 1951 to 1953. After being discharged as a First Lieutenant, he did advanced studies in French at the Sorbonne.

Norman began a 35-year career at his beloved Newton North High School in 1959, as a French teacher. From 1967 until his retirement in 1993, he served as Housemaster of Adams House. He also taught French at Berklee College of Music in Boston. He was currently teaching a French conversation class with Wellesley-Weston Lifetime Learning and English Language Learning and Literacy at the Newton Free Library. 

Norman had a passion for the arts – language, literature, poetry and music. He was at his happiest surrounded by his family and his books, with conversation, laughter and music in the air. He was a voracious reader with an insatiable thirst for knowledge who inspired those around him to strive for more, if only to keep up with him.  Norman was a teacher and a student, and an apostle of lifetime learning - as demonstrated by his decision to learn to read music and play the piano in his mid-80’s. He loved Opera, art museums, Tanglewood, his lunch group, walking, golfing and cheering on the Red Sox and the Patriots.

Visiting hours 4-8 PM Fri Feb 8 at Eaton & Mackay Funeral Home 465 Centre St Newton Corner. His funeral will be from Eaton & Mackey on Sat Feb 9 at 9:30 AM followed by his Mass of Christian Burial at Our Lady Help of Christians Parish 573 Washington Street Newton at 10:30 AM. Interment with Military Honors in Newton Cemetery. Relatives and friends are kindly invited. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Paralyzed Veterans of America.

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