Norman Albert Blumberg

Norman Albert Blumberg was born on December 1, 1927, in Cape Town to Sonia (Voronov) Blumberg and David Blumberg. Sonia and David had recently immigrated to South Africa from Berlin upon witnessing the growing popularity and rise of the Nazi Party. Within a few years of arrival, they opened a jewelry shop in a small town, Klerksdorp, where Norman spent the rest of his childhood before enrolling in medical school at the University of Witswatersrand at the age of seventeen. As a child, he was highly inquisitive and once WW2 began and everything was scarce and rationed, he made toys and items with his own hands. He was a gifted pianist and his mother suggested he become a concert pianist. However, he decided becoming a surgeon was a better way to combine his gifts of a sponge memory and fine motor skills. His close friend, Ruby Silberman, who was also a medical student, introduced him to a beautiful young woman, Maureen Roberts, who was also a Wits student. Their mutual love of classical music sealed the relationship, and within a few years they were married. In 1953, the newlyweds set sail for the UK so Norman could begin his specialist training in surgery. Norman’s studies also took them to live in Edinburgh, Scotland. Their first daughter, Shelley, was born in England. After graduation, Norman was able to set up his practice back in South Africa. They had their second daughter, Andrea, then a few years later, a third, Larissa. Throughout the years they welcomed several dogs and a cat into their home. He loved animals and all nature. Norman was adored by his family. His children would take turns accompanying him on weekends to the hospital and would sit in the nurse’s station while he checked on his patients. It was clear he was very popular with the nurses, and many of his patients kept up with him for years, writing him beautiful letters and sending annual holiday cards. He loved practicing medicine and healing people. He never lost a single patient on the operating table in almost 50 years of practicing surgery. He was often called in to help a fellow surgeon who was struggling with a procedure, known to his colleagues to have masterfully skilled fingers and an amazing ability to solve problems. Maureen was a doting wife and the CEO of the household. There was always a home-cooked dinner, and on nights when Norman came home late, she would sit with him while he ate from the plate she had set aside for him. They enjoyed many trips together, visiting and keeping up with friends and family around the world. In 1980, the family immigrated to Houston and Norman built another surgical practice from ground zero. He was chief of surgery at Pasadena Bayshore Medical Center and his peers quickly learned they had a super star surgeon with whom to discuss cases and issues. Besides performing surgery, Norman was an anatomy professor in both South Africa and in Houston. Upon retirement, he wrote and published a surgical textbook which he also illustrated with diagrams of colorectal procedures. The textbook was purchased by many in this field and used as a teaching tool for medical students. Besides his profession, Norman had many hobbies and interests. He was an avid reader and history buff. He kept up with current events, especially those pertaining to Israel. He was a passionate Zionist and well-read on Israel’s history. Whatever he chose to do with his hands, he did well. He could paint and draw beautifully. He was an avid photographer, could lay bricks like a pro, and taught himself how to weld and made furniture and the gates to the driveway for their home in South Africa. He loved to lend a hand with any DIY project, and his children were delighted to oblige. He could take things apart and reassemble them with ease. His greatest success was his loving marriage of 72 years to Maureen, and the love for his adoring children and grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents of blessed memory (Z” l), Sonia and David Blumberg, and his brother, Harry Blumberg. He leaves behind his wife, Maureen; daughters, Shelley Jacobson, Andrea (Todd) Blitzer, Larissa (Wayne) Diner; grandchildren, Stefan Jacobson, Justin Jacobson, Devin Blitzer, Hannah Diner, Greer Blitzer, Mira Diner, and Ariel Diner; cousins, and too many friends to name. Each and every person was important to him. A funeral service will take place on Wednesday, November 12, 2025, at 2:30 pm in the Leon and Shirley Mucasey Pavilion at Beth Jacob Cemetery, 2300 Almeda Genoa Road, Houston, Texas 77047. In lieu of flowers, please make a memorial donation to Magen David Adom, https://afmda.org/.

Norman Albert Blumberg

December 1, 1927 - November 11, 2025