Norma Tessmer McBride

Norma Tessmer McBride, aged 97, died at Seasons Hospice on December 14, 2019 after a brief illness. She had lived in Delaware in Wilmington, Bellefonte, and Hockessin since 1945.

The daughter of German immigrants to Western PA, she was born in Pittsburgh, PA and educated in nearby Edgewood, PA. She showed real talent as a piano player until a broken arm and wrist from a childhood accident limited her playing. She followed her big brother Carl Tessmer MD into health care enrolling in nursing school as he finished medical training. She graduated from Carnegie Mellon (then Carnegie Tech) University with a BSN in Nursing Education in 1945.

During college, she caught the heart of a fellow Carnegie Tech Engineering student, also from Pittsburgh, Robert H McBride. Bob was already committed to working at DuPont when they met; after Norma graduated, they married and she came to Delaware. There was nowhere to live in Wilmington at the height of WWII so being two city kids they rented a house in Carney’s Point, NJ and grew way too many victory garden tomatoes. After the end of WWII, DuPont sent Bob to E Chicago, IN back to Wilmington, and then Niagara Falls, NY. Norma packed up the household and moved along. Because of the moving around, she was only able to practice nursing for about three years but retained a keen interest in hospital nursing throughout her life. She worked for many years as a hospital volunteer for the Junior Board of what became Christiana Care Health Care System at various locations.

She was a founding member of Presbyterian Church of the Covenant in Bellefonte. In her later years, she was an active member of the Worship Committee at Cokesbury Village where she lived. Norma was an active member of PEO for more than 50 years and cherished her PEO Sisters in Delaware and Pennsylvania.

Norma had been married to Bob Sr. for 64 happy years when he passed away in 2009. Norma and Bob had three children who survive her: Robert H. Jr. (Stephanie Newman) of Newark, Paul T. McBride MD (Susan) of Snohomish WA and Susan McBride Waldin (Mark) of Mill Creek, WA. She is also survived by her six grandchildren and by five great grandchildren. Her brother’s son, David Tessmer, (Marilyn) and his family were close to her heart. She was predeceased by her parents Paul and Mabel Tessmer and her brother Carl F Tessmer MD.

All of her children learned that love and faith were the most important things in life. Helping others was the way Norma thought we should express love; she tried to live her life in service to others. Her children hope that her friends and neighbors will remember her by performing an act of kindness or service to someone.

Instead of flowers, the family suggests that a contribution in memory of Norma be made to The Salvation Army DE Chapter or the YMCA or YWCA of Greater Wilmington.