In Memoriam: Norma Leduc
Norma Leduc, a longtime staff member who worked in facilities and athletics for over 35 years, died on February 11 at Sentara Halifax Regional Hospital in South Boston, Virginia. She was 70 years old.
Leduc was a fixture in the local swimming community, having served as an assistant men’s and women’s swimming coach from 1998 to 2009 and as assistant aquatics director for eight years until her retirement in 2019. She was also head guard supervisor at the natatorium from 2003 to 2009.
“Norma was a positive presence around Middlebury athletics and the swimming and diving programs for many years,” said Erin Quinn ’86, director of athletics. “Her support of the coaches and student-athletes at Brown Pool and later at the natatorium were deeply appreciated. Generations of recreational swimmers also associate swimming at Middlebury with being greeted by Norma.”
Born in Salisbury, Vermont, on November 13, 1954, Leduc graduated from Middlebury Union High School in 1973. She started working at the College in facilities management as a custodian in 1983, later becoming a counter attendant at Brown Pool in 1987.
Peter Solomon, Middlebury’s head swimming and diving coach from 1997 to 2011, called Leduc a loyal friend who handled the bulk of the administrative work supporting the teams while also training, hiring, and supervising the lifeguard staff.
“It was Norma’s relationship with not just the college swimmers but also the entire Middlebury community that will be missed the most,” said Solomon. “She took care of everyone who came through the doors at the pool. We could all learn a lesson or two from Norma on how to treat others in this world.”
Leduc was a regular presence at public swimming pools across Addison County as a certified swimming and lifeguard instructor, a Red Cross water safety instructor, and the facilitator of swimming lessons and lifeguard training. She was also a member of the Middlebury Muffintops Masters Swimming team.
Mel McLaughlin, head men’s and women’s swimming coach at the College from 1986 to 1997, recalls spending “countless hours managing the hustle and bustle of the pool with Leduc,” whom she called the glue that held the swimming programs together.
“She took great pride in Middlebury, its facilities, and especially in the swim team,” said McLaughlin. “She knew every swimmer and diver by name and made each person feel valued. She will be deeply missed, but her legacy of friendship, dedication, and unwavering support will always be remembered.”
Leduc is survived by her husband, Joseph Marcel Gerald Leduc; sons Marcel Paul Leduc (Marie) of Salisbury and Lance Marc Leduc (Jill) of Fountain, Colorado; four grandchildren, Jackson, Arlo, and Bode Leduc, and James Mason; siblings Earl Hurlburt Jr. and Laura (Hurlburt) Bougor (Larry Sr.), both of Middlebury, and Debra Hurlburt (Russ Lawton) of Salisbury; and sister-in-law Lisa Hurlburt of Bluffton, South Carolina. Norma’s brother, Jim Hurlburt, predeceased her.
A memorial service will be held at the Halifax Baptist Church in Vernon Hill, Virginia, at a date to be determined. You can read more or express condolences in her full obituary.