A seamstress by day, a lover of languages by night
By STEPHANIE HAYES, Times Staff Writer
Published September 29, 2007
ST. PETERSBURG - He probably didn't need so many pants altered.
But Douglas Harold was interested in Norma, the outgoing, vivacious seamstress who ran a St. Petersburg alteration shop. So, he brought his clothes in for her to sew.
Within a year, he asked her to marry him.
"I didn't want to lose her," Douglas said.
The two spent 25 years together before Norma Harold died Sunday after a stroke. She was 69.
Where Douglas was quiet and reserved, Norma bubbled. And she had a history colored by compelling highs and lows.
She grew up in Yauco, a city in southwest Puerto Rico. Her family was poor and struggled. As a teen, Norma left her country, bound for New York.
"She wanted opportunity," said her son, Kenneth Falzone. "She wanted to make a difference in the U.S."
She married Vincent Falzone and had three children. But over the years, her husband and two of their children died. It left Norma brokenhearted, and she never fully recovered, her family said.
When her daughter Iris died in a car accident, Norma adopted Iris' 5-year-old son, Nico. Norma always worried that Nico, now 25, would overwork himself with jobs and college.
"She always said not to stress," Nico said. "Stress will kill you."
In 1972, Norma came to Florida, where she opened her alteration shop. She was a master seamstress. Once, she contracted with Sacinos to replace hundreds of tuxedo lapels when the popular styles changed, her family said.
Her urge to create things was intense. After dinner, Norma would disappear for hours, laboring over hand sewn white angels she made out of antique lace. She sold the angels at a St. Petersburg antique shop where she worked. Naturally inquisitive, Norma loved the intricacies of language. She took night classes in St. Petersburg to learn French, and taught herself Italian and German.
She prayed each night in three languages. She and a friend started translating the Bible to French. And when Douglas tipped her short fuse, she'd scold him in Spanish.
Norma and Douglas traveled to South America, Europe and the Caribbean, buying jewelry that fit Norma's bold sense of style. And always, she'd practice her languages.
In European cafes, Norma always did the ordering. The servers were always charmed by her, Douglas said.
She always got served first.
Stephanie Hayes can be reached at shayes@sptimes.com or 727 893-8857.
Norma Harold
Born: Sept. 26, 1937
Died: Sept. 23, 2007
Survivors: husband, Douglas Harold; sons, Kenneth C. Falzone and Nico A. Harold; sisters, Edith Pagan and Araminta Ramirez; grandsons, Jared Bryant and Joshua Falzone.
Services: Funeral at 10 a.m. today, Anderson McQueen Funeral Home, 2201 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. St. N, St. Petersburg.
Biography
Norma Harold
Born: Sept. 26, 1937 Died: Sept. 23, 2007
Survivors: husband, Douglas Harold; sons, Kenneth C. Falzone and Nico A. Harold; sisters, Edith Pagan and Araminta Ramirez; grandsons, Jared Bryant and Joshua Falzone
Services: Funeral at 10 a.m. today, Anderson McQueen Funeral Home, 2201 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. St. N, St. Petersburg