Norm MacKay, Friend To All – You Will Be Missed

Some people sum up the best of a place. Norm MacKay was one of those people for North Kingstown. . He leaves behind a raft of friends, both people he knew well and those he encountered only briefly. 

"Norm was always there for everybody," said Tim Sharp, owner of the Beach Rose Cafe on Brown Street. "A number of my employees became really close to him."

"He was a funny guy but he was always ready to listen to everybody," said Barbara Cullen, owner of Mystic Scrimshanders in Wickford and a longtime friend. "He’d do anything for you. He was real concerned about Wickford Village. He was always trying to help out."

Norm was so game, Cullen and Sharp both said, that when Cullen asked him to help judge the annual Halloween scarecrow contest, Norm got a group together and they all appeared dressed as crows – "with wings and the whole bit," Cullen said.

"They’ve done it for the last four years in a row. Last year he had to do it in a wheelchair because he’d torn his Achilles heel and had to have surgery on it. But he was there with his wings in his wheelchair," she said.

Norm was assistant harbormaster for many years. Then and later, Norm with his trusty first mate, Bosun (pictured here), was a familiar scene on the water. 

"That dog was always out on the boat," said Dominic Zachorne, who with his father builds wooden boats in Wickford Shipyard. "He enjoyed being out on the water and dealing with people. He was a good people person."

Cullen did a ink drawing of him a few years ago in captain's garb, with his pipe and with Bosun. This week, it is sitting in the window at Wilson's of Wickford, where Cullen has her shop (see picture, attached).

Norm was one of the people Santa used to transport him to Wickford each year. He loved playing bluegrass music and got different bluegrass sessions started in the area. 

More than anything, though, when people talk about Norm, they talk about what a good friend he was to everyone. 

George Zachorne recalled the help Norm provided after George's wife died and he was having trouble sleeping. Norm counseled George as he counseled many many people over the years. Part of that "counseling" help came in the form of food – he was known for the oatcakes he made himself and would give out.

"No more oatcakes," said Dominic Zachorne.

Tim Sharp at the Beach Rose Cafe said Norm had been a big supporter of the cafe from the start, six years ago. Norm even remembered each anniversary, giving the Sharps a card to mark the day.

While the cafe's employees tended to be in their 20s and Norm was in his 70s, there was never a generational divide.

"He was always there to listen to people and to make them feel comfortable," said Sharp. "Most of my employees are in their 20s and yet they became very close to Norm. There was a real depth to him. He didn’t feel like he needed to prove anything."

Often, Sharp said, Norm and Bosun would be waiting outside for them to open in the morning. "Norm would be out there smoking his pipe and Bosun would be there at the door waiting for us," he said. "He had his own cup, the old harbormaster cup."

Sharp continued, "It's cliche, but he really did have a twinkle in his eye. He was just there, he was present, he listened. That’s a wonderful thing for everyone to hold onto forever, but it’s also a big loss."

There will be a bluegrass-style tribute to Norm Tuesday, June 18, at the Oak Hill Tavern 6:30 to 9 p.m.

Norm's funeral is Thursday, June 20, at noon in The First Baptist Church in Wickford, 44 Main St. Burial will be private. Relatives and friends are invited and may call on Wednesday from 4 to 7 p.m. in The Cranston-Murphy Funeral Home of Wickford, 140 West Main St., Wickford Village.