A celebration of Life Memorial Service will be held on Sunday, August 10 at 2 p.m. at the Masonic Lodge, 19319 W. Avenue of the Oaks, Newhall (in Friendly Valley). The family requests that those attending wear bright colors. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to the American Cancer Society or the American Rose Society.
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| Norm Siefert Photo by Kitty Belendez |
Norman Bruce Siefert, 62, died of lung cancer on July 3, 2003, in Newhall, CA. He was born on August 10, 1940 in Santa Monica. He grew up in North Hollywood and resided in Newhall with his family for 31 years. He is survived by his wife of 40 years, Elissa, and three sons: Scott, Sean and Todd.
Norm always had a green thumb, and most recently he had a love of roses. He grew many beautiful roses and tended them with great care. Norm was a member of the Santa Clarita Valley Rose Society since January 1993, a member of the Los Angeles Rose Society, a member of the American Rose Society, and was a Consulting Rosarian. He was generous with his rose advice, and enjoyed promoting the benefits of becoming a member of the rose society.
When Norm and Elissa Siefert bought their home in Newhall 30 years ago, there was a huge Peace rose already well established in the yard. They enjoyed it so much they bought another rose to keep it company – Olé. A few years later they discovered some potted roses in a local nursery and went home with 15 hybrid teas and tree roses!
Norm’s cousin gave him a membership to the American Rose Society as a birthday gift about 15 years ago, and the more he learned about roses, the more he added to his ever-growing collection. Most recently he grew over 200 roses, many in containers.
About 10 years ago he saw a newspaper article about the formation of a new rose society in the Santa Clarita Valley. When he saw a picture of board member Bob Belendez wearing sandals to plant bareroot roses in February, he thought, “That guy’s gotta be nuts – I gotta get to know him!” He started attending the monthly meetings of SCVRS, “asking questions and getting answers that made sense.” And, of course, Norm and Bob became good friends.
Norm’s favorite roses were generally hybrid teas such as Touch of Class and Milestone and other fragrant roses. He also liked the Floribunda Intrigue, whose fragrance “always turns my head – I’ve got three of those!” And he was beginning to enjoy Miniatures as well.
Norm was employed as a roofer during his working years. His claim to fame was his Ocean Wave Roofs as well as the roof on the Krishnamurti school in Ojai. He was especially talented with wood shakes and shingles. Through the years, he had many and varied interests such as homing pigeon racing, skydiving, camping and fishing in the Eastern Sierras, and he was a CB radio enthusiast. His CB handle was "Stormin’ Norman." Norm loved his Boston Terrier dogs, Dolly and Dinky. He was famous for his July 4th antics.
Norm was an unconventional, unforgettable character with an infectious laugh,
colorful language and a big heart. Norm once proclaimed, “Roses are a
great hobby – I love it!”
