Name/Title
2025 - CGG Hon. Colonel Major-General Francis 'Frank' John Norman (1935-2025)Scope and Content
Major- General Francis 'Frank' John Norman, CD, CStJ, ADC (September 26, 1935 - August 14, 2025)
Major-General Francis John Norman, CD, CStJ, ADC - Honourary Colonel of The Canadian Grenadier Guards (1996-2005), Hon. Lieutenant-Colonel (1991-1996)
CGG APPOINTMENTS
Hon. Lieutenant Colonel 1991 to 1996
Hon. Colonel 1996 to 2005
3573 Francis John Norman entered Canadian Services College Royal Roads in 1952. He was Commandant at RMC 1982-85 with the rank of Brigadier General. The highly popular varsity football program had just been cancelled prior to his arrival. Lady Cadets were entering III Year for the first time – IV Years who would be graduating in May 1983 would be the last all male class to graduate from RMC. His particular era as Commandant was arguably one of the most scrutinized in the history of the college due mainly to the focus on the Lady Cadet issue. He retired from the Canadian Forces with the rank of Major-General and resides in Kingston with his wife Anne.
2025 - OBITUARY
The younger son of the Hon. Harry Norman and Molle Norman, he was born on 26 September, 1935, at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Montreal. He attended Selwyn House School in Montreal, and Trinity College School at Port Hope, Ontario.
Frank Norman joined the Regular Force as an Officer Cadet at Royal Roads in Victoria in 1952. He graduated from RMC in 1956 and studied at McGill for one year thereafter. He served as an Infantry officer in The Royal Canadian Regiment for 39 years until to his retirement in 1990. His last appointment was Commandant of the National Defence College of Canada; prior appointments included command of First Battalion, The RCR, and Commandant and Vice-Chancellor of the Royal Military College of Canada. Although he never identified his favourite appointment, his affiliation with RMC was probably one of the defining experiences of his life. On his retirement he continued to work with RMC in a variety of informal advisory capacities and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the College in 1995. He continued to serve in uniform as the Honorary Lieutenant-Colonel and then Honorary Colonel of the Canadian Grenadier Guards of Montreal, stepping down from the latter appointment in 2005.
He was Chairman of the Board of Kingston General Hospital from 1995-1998 and was Chairman of the Board of the Ontario Hospital Association in 2000-2001; he remained a Life Member of that Association. He served in a governance role with the local Loyalist Branch of St. John Ambulance for a number of years and was an honorary member of the Chapter of the Priory of St. John's in Canada. In 2012, he became the Secretary-Treasurer of the Heritage & Museum Committee of the Royal Military College, stepping down from that appointment in 2024.
He married Anne Marie Lemon, daughter of Frank and Marion Lemon of London, Ontario on 10 June 1961, his best friend and sharer of all sorts of fun and experiences over the years following. They had two sons – Mark and Peter. They were grandparents to Holly (Nick Poulin), daughter of Mark and Beverly Norman and to Jacob and Natasha, children of Peter and Jennifer Baird-Norman. As “Grandad”, he admired and encouraged all of their individual talents. He also leaves behind Anne’s brother Ross Lemon and his wife Tova of London, Ontario. Frank was predeceased by his brother Michael and sister Marie, both of Vancouver.Created By
Lieutenant Michael Hayes-Rivet, retired.Create Date
August 22, 2025Updated By
Lieutenant Michael Hayes-Rivet, retired.Update Date
February 18, 2026
