Norma Alice Thompson-Ashe

Norma Alice Thompson-Ashe Age 59 years of #3-A Lloyd's Alley, off Strachan's Alley 
Kemp Road completed her final garment at her residence on Monday, October 23, 2017.

She was born at Nassau, New Providence, the Bahamas on Monday, July 28, 1958 to the 
late Ernest Roberts and Annie Louise Thompson both natives of Green Turtle Cay, Abaco. 
She was cherished dearly and lovingly named and raised Norma Alice Thompson, by her 
Mother and Stepfather the late George Frank Thompson, a native of Deep Creek, Eleuthera.

Norma received her early education at St. Margaret's Anglican Pre-school, where she was 
taught by the Nuns. She then went on to Thatchberry Primary for her elementary schooling 
and then continued her secondary education at Pyfrom Secondary and R. M. Bailey High 
where she graduated with a high school diploma and certificates.

Now a young woman, fresh out of high school, Norma met and grew an attraction to a new 
young constable on the Royal Bahamas Police Force, Leon Wilchcombe, who fathered her 
first beautiful daughter, Shykel Morag at the youthful age of twenty. She loved her daughter 
with all her heart and treasured her dearly. She was not with the young constable for long 
before a young carpenter, Stephen Ashe caught her eye at the young age of twenty-four, 
he courted her and took her hand in marriage and fathered her second beautiful daughter, 
whom they named Starsheema Yvonne. She loved her husband up until his death in 2011 
and she always loved her family dearly and they all loved one another.

Norma dedicated her life to God when she accepted Christ as her personal Lord and Saviour 
as a young adult. She prayed, read her Bible and shared God's word daily, ministering to 
anyone within reach. Norma was very gifted and blessed with a beautiful singing voice with 
which she used generously to praise God. She sang with many choirs, always with her two 
daughters close by, who were also in a few. The Anglican Mass Choir, St. Francis Xavier's 
Cathedral Junior Choir, The Ambassador Chorale and The High Groove Singers have all had 
the pleasure of her singing with them. She has also travelled with The St. Francis Junior Choir 
to New Orleans and Baltimore, Maryland singing and on her own to Scotland with her close 
friend and choir director, Mr. Francis Richardson accompanying her. She sang at many weddings, 
funerals and private functions. She has sung at The Lyford Cay Club every Christmas for many years. 
Norma's gifted voice has blessed so many and has reached the ears of many internationally and locally. 
Visitors have come from far and have spread the word of the lady with the voice of an angel. She has 
also directed many choirs, sharing her talent and assisting in forming new choirs. She directed St. 
Margaret's Anglican Youth Choir when she first came to know God, when her daughters were both 
graduated out of high school, she formed the St. Peter's Anglican Youth Choir from Abaco and led 
them to the National Arts Festival where they were first runner up. She has assisted with the direction 
of Baptist Bible Choir as of late, and has sang with and trained many praise teams. Recently she has 
been devoting her time to the youth and young adults continuing her missionary journey with the 
Anglican Youth Discovery Team, traveling to family islands once again teaching and sharing God's word.

As a woman of integrity and dedication, Norma sought employment to ensure that her family was taken 
care of. She began her first employment at a restaurant in the Freeport airport. Once that was completed, 
Norma moved back to Nassau and worked with her brother at Big Sun Food Store as a cashier. As Norma 
moved around seeking employment she pursued her true love, sewing. Again, with her family in mind 
Norma went to work as a seamstress with Naomi dressmaking on Mackey Street, while continuing her 
sewing at home. Norma was artistically creative with her designs and ventured into her dressmaking 
company, Amron Originals. She began making her designs under the signature of AMRON. Sewing was 
the life dream of Norma where she wanted to create enough designs to open a clothing store called 
STARKELS. Her vision didn't happen as she wanted, but she continued sewing and designing items for 
anyone that needed her skills. Norma was a woman of many wise words and wisdom flowed from her. 
With this gift, her work began as her outreach ministry was becoming more a part of her daily routine. 
Anyone that was depressed, angry or just needed a kind word or a listening ear, knew that Norma was 
the person to call. Everything that she would have been doing, would be stopped to accommodate that 
individual. This took many hours out of her day but she always had a positive message to give.

In the spring of 2013, Norma complained of a bad pain afflicting her in her left arm and complaints of 
the feeling of her heart racing. She was immediately admitted in hospital upon findings of hyperthyroidism. 
However, the doctors didn't pay much attention to her heart at that time, under the assumption that once 
her thyroid was controlled with prescription meds. She was fine for a few years and doctors wanted to have 
the thyroid removed but she didn't want the operation because it would interfere with her singing and that 
was the main gift she used to minister. Norma prayed and was still going strong up until May of 2017, when 
she started coughing a lot and often, to the point where she could not hold short conversations and the feeling 
of her heart racing was back. She went to see Dr. Davis, a close friend, who insisted that she go to the hospital. 
She was admitted once again, only this time due to the weakening of her heart by the thyroid. She spent nine 
days in hospital and was released once again with prescription meds. The medications helped for a time but 
with uncomfortable side effects. However, Norma kept praising God and sewing and had shortly returned 
from another Youth Discovery retreat, one week before she passed. On that fateful Monday, around 4:00 
Norma was sitting in the front room awaiting her ride to go out to dinner. She didn't complain of any shortness 
of breath after her shower and she was in good spirits all that day. Her hair had just been touched up and ten 
minutes later, her eldest daughter, Shykel found her with her head leaning against the radio stand, thinking she 
was just asleep. Her son-in-law and his mother an auxiliary nurse, who had just stopped by for a visit, at the time 
performed CPR in an effort to revive her, until the arrival of the paramedics, but to no avail. She passed away due 
to congestive heart failure, she was not alone. Her last two grandchildren were with her. The three year old, 
youngest of the two said somebody came. When asked who, she replied Jesus came and He told her that he was 
with Grammy. She then started repeating that her Grammy was dead until the remainder of the family appeared. 
Norma was ready to be with Her Lord and Saviour and now she can rest peacefully in His loving arms.

Norma is preceded in death by her:
Parents: George Frank and Annie Louise Ward-Thompson;
Brothers: Livingston and Stephen Thompson;
Sisters: Cleola Thompson and Annis Forbes;
Sister-in-law: Deborah Thompson;

The Radiance of this "Ruby of A Gem" will always glow in the hearts of her:
Two Daughters: Shykel Wilchcombe and Starsheema Smith;
Three Grandsons: Joseph, Zhivon and Lavon;
Five Granddaughters: Denaria, Adiyah, Shymera, Amariah and Amana;
Four Brothers: David Bethel, Theodore, Paul and Andrew Thompson;
Three Sisters: Ena Stubbs, Ellen Beatrice-Gordon and Joycelyn Miller;
One Son-in-law: Captain Darren Smith;
Two Brothers-in-law: Levon Miller and Prince Albert Gordon Sr.;
Four Sisters-in-law: Susan Bethel, Antoinette, Cynthia and Beverley Thompson;
Two Aunts: Elva Minnis and Rose Mae Thompson;
Nephews: Jeffrey, Charles, Keith and Kevin Bethel, Crandon, Theodore Jr., Nathaniel, 
Claude, Andrew Jr., Stephen Jr., Warren Doc, Locksley, Kirkwood and Antoine Thompson, 
Ricardo Stubbs, Prince Albert Jr. and Byron Gordon, Bishop Franklyn, Cedric, Keino, Michael, 
Pastor Kenroy and Apostle Kelson Miller;
Nieces: Beverley and Detra Bethel, Beryl Allen, Sandra and D'Andria Knowles, Ava Storr, 
Mia Raquel Wright, Calverne and Allison Johnson, Tenesia Sweeting, Norlette Bethell, Sheree, 
Deidra, Anishka, Andrecia, Carolyn, Theresa and Marsha Thompson, Ethnee Nottage, Edena Whitney, 
Shaniqua and Latoya Gordon, Georgetta Ettiene, Geraldine and Naomi Lewis, Maria Christie and Deann Dean;
Numerous: Grandnieces and Grandnephews;
Other loving family and friends including: Stanley Gibbs, Francis Richardson, Dale Williams, 
St. Francis Xavier Cathedral Junior Choir Family, Fr. Simeon Roberts, Fr. Kendrick Forbes, Fr. Glen 
Nixon, Dr. Davis, Kayla Smith, Lana Farrington, Shannon Bethel, Jack Thompson, Bernel Johnson, 
Bernard Thompson, Brenda Smith, Malisa Cartwright, Mirelle Hutcheson, Carol Adderley, Patrice Smith, 
Betty Russell, David Sweeting, The Green Turtle Cay Abaco Family, Linda Tucker, Dedrie Demeritte, 
Carrie Shepherd, Giante Lightbourne, Deandrea Pinder, Janetta Pratt, Jennifer and Jaiden Lopez, 
Hilda Woodside, Vandette Cooper, The Strachan's Alley Community, Wanda Harris, Baptist Bible 
Church Choir, Fr. Ethan Ferguson, The Anglican Discovery Team, Dr. Andrew Taylor, Michael Bullard 
and The Ambassador Chorale, Adrian Archer and The High Groove Singers, Alice Smith, Bishop Santosh 
Marray, Chantal and Pascal Hamerer, Fr. Oswald Pinder, Salome Charles, Fr. Roland T. Hamilton, 
Raymond Smith, Ella Wallace, Laura Taylor, Yulie and Daniel Mac Brunner, Fr. Harry Ward, Archdeacon 
Kingsley Knowles, Annmarie Sengeh, Francis Wilson, Mable Carey, Arisa Fernander and their families, 
the Daxon, Regis, Miller, Delancey and Saunders Families and many more too numerous to mention.