Norma Louise Ponte

Norma Louise (Rapoza) Ponte, of Fleming Island, Florida, passed away on January 21, 2017 at the age of 84. She was born on November 20, 1932 in New Bedford, Massachusetts to the late Joseph and Mary Rapoza.   She met the late Robert (Bob) Ponte, her husband of 59 years, while working as a nurse at St. Luke’s hospital in New Bedford. They both had a love of dancing and went several nights a week to local clubs, including Lincoln Park, to dance to big band music during the mid 1950s. Norma and Bob were married in 1957 and had 5 children. They moved from Massachusetts to Florida in 1992, where they were both members of Sacred Heart Catholic Church on Fleming Island, FL.   Norma was one of the first graduating classes from the St. Luke's School of Nursing. She was very proud of this accomplishment and often talked about saving her waitressing tips from working at a local diner, Gulf Hill Dairy, to pay for her tuition. She was a surgical nurse for more than 30 years. Upon her retirement she decided to go back to school and pursue a Bachelor's degree in Psychology from Bridgewater State University. She then went on to receive her Master's in Social Work from Boston University. Upon graduation she worked as a Psychiatric Nurse for the New Bedford Crisis Center. She also became a program director and senior clinician for The Center for Human Services until 1992. She continued to work as a clinical coordinator for Catholic Charities before finally retiring.   One of her life long dreams was to write a book dedicated to her beloved maternal grandmother, Maria Luiza Vital Garcia. She even went back to college to take a course in writing to better her already amazing journalistic skills. In 2010, she with the help of her husband, Bob and family, officially published, Suadades Do Alma, Longings of the Soul. Her legacy and that of all past, present and future generations lives on through this book.   She is survived by her four sons; Robert Andrew (Elizabeth), Douglas James (Michelle), David Michael (Cathy) and Christopher Joseph (Michelle); daughter, Jo Mary (James) Long; eleven grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren.