Norma Verhulst

Venice FL / Madison: Norma L. Verhulst passed away on Wednesday, September 18, 2019 due to congestive heart failure. Her daughter, Christine Verhulst, was at her side. Her other daughter, Catherine (Verhulst) Craycraft, cared for her for eight weeks prior.

Norma was born October 25, 1935 to Norma Robinson Poole and James Martin Poole. She was married to Frederick P. Verhulst on August 20, 1960, with whom she had two daughters, Christine M. Verhulst and Catherine J. (Verhulst) Craycraft. Norma and her three siblings grew up in Kenosha, Wisconsin. During their childhood, their mother suffered bouts with serious illness and long hospitalizations. Norma, being the oldest, was called on to help her father keep the family together and well cared for. She did this with scrupulous care and a kindness her younger brothers and sister never forgot.

Norma was a graduate of Mary D. Bradford High School in Kenosha. She was a teenage beauty; before leaving her hometown to go to the University of Wisconsin, she modeled for the cover of Immaculata Magazine. Norma earned her undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. She taught first grade for one year in Bakersfield, California, and later for a number of years at Shorewood Hills Elementary in Madison. She especially enjoyed teaching the children to read.

Norma earned her real estate license and sold real estate in Pittsburgh, PA and did so well her first year that she bought herself her first Cadillac. She was 1985 Golf Club Champion (Women's Division) at Valley Brook Country Club in Pittsburgh, PA. She also got a Hole-In-One at the Plantation Golf & Country Club in Venice, Florida.

Norma and Fred purchased a condo at the Plantation Golf & Country Club in Venice, Florida in 1991. Norma later designed and built a beautiful home in 2001 in the Plantation, where she resided until moving to the Aston Gardens senior community in 2018.

In her later years, Norma was a member of the Venice - Nokomis Duplicate Bridge Club. She and her significant other, Edward M. Quinlan, traveled to different locations around the world. Despite the many challenges Norma faced in her life, she had a sharp wit and wry sense of humor that no one who knew her closely will ever forget.

She is survived by her daughters Christine M. Verhulst and Catherine J. Craycraft (husband Bill); her sister Eva Poole-Gilson; her brother James R. Poole; her significant other Edward M. Quinlan LT Col., Ret. USAF; many nieces and nephews and one new grand-nephew. She was preceded in death by her husband, Frederick P. Verhulst, her mother and father, and one brother, Michael.

An entombment service will be held at 2pm on Wednesday, September 25, at Forest Hill Cemetery and Mausoleum, 1 Speedway Road in Madison, Wisconsin. A memorial service will be held at a later date in Venice, Florida.

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