Norman Frederick Haard [private]

Norman Frederick Haard

Date of Death: Jun 29, 2012

Norman Frederick Haard

Norman was born on December 4, 1941 in Queens, New York City to Richard and Hazel Haard. Norm passed away peacefully on June 29, 2012 in Magalia, CA, at the age of 70. He had been battling cancer for 9 years.

Norm was a faithful and loving husband and a dedicated and giving father of three and

. He was not a man of many words and always thought that actions spoke louder than words. He was a very private person and found it difficult to express his feelings and emotions. But, for those who knew him best, his deeply felt heart of love and rock solid commitment was fully understood. Norm’s absence will leave a huge void. He will be greatly missed by his family.

Beyond his role as husband and father, Norm’s passion for life was evident in his work. Over the course of his 35 plus year career, he became a pioneer in the field of Food Biochemistry. This began with his receiving his Ph.D. in Food Biochemistry from the Univ. of Massachusetts.

Subsequently, Norm attained a Post Doctorate at the Institute for Enzyme Research at the University of Wisconsin, in Madison, and in the years following, he was a teaching and research professor at Rutgers University in New Jersey, at Memorial University in Newfoundland, Canada, and finally The University of California, in Davis. On retiring from UCD early in 2003, he moved with his wife Vicky to Magalia, California.

During his career, he authored over 250 publications in peer-reviewed scientific journals, along with several patents and textbooks. Norm was a Fellow of the Institute of Food Technologists and received numerous awards including the Samuel Cate Prescott award for research, Young Scientist of the Year award while in Canada, and the Earl P. McFee Award for outstanding contributions to the field of Fisheries Technology.

Finally, in his teaching role, Norm was an adviser and mentor for over 100 MSc and Ph.D. graduate students from around the world. He served in establishing and/or aiding international Food Biochemistry higher educational programs in China, Pakistan, Mexico, Uruguay, Thailand, and Canada. He also served as Associate Editor and then Editor in Chief of the Journal of Food Biochemistry for more than 30 years.

Shortly after arriving at the University of California in Davis, Norm turned his life over to God and became a Christian. He described this change as an "irresistible drawing" from God, as a new understanding and belief in the Bible was awakened in him. This new commitment to Christ affected numerous aspects of his life, and gave him new opportunities for servant leadership. Norm participated in his local churches, both in Davis and, after his retirement, in the town of Paradise. Norm also became strongly committed to Christian missions both in the U.S. and overseas, traveling on a couple of short term mission trips and helping to financially support missionaries in many different countries. His desire to give the Word of God to others, however, was best expressed through his active partnership in Gideons International, where he served for many years, most recently as Distribution Chairman for the Chico Gideon Camp.

Finally, Norm's life was in many ways centered around a central theme: fish. Beyond being the subject of his scientific research, fishing was also his favorite hobby, fish was his favorite food, and the fisherman a symbol in his faith. His favorite hobby of fishing brought him to all parts of the U.S., Newfoundland, and the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, New Zealand, Mexico and almost Ishuaia, Argentina. He loved all kinds of fishing, but fly-fishing was his favorite. For dinner, a great Father's Day feast came from the sea, ideally in the form of a freshly boiled Maine lobster. In his work, the last 25 years of his scientific research was spent studying the sub-cellular biochemistry of various fish organism. And finally, in his faith, his focus was in “Christian missions”, whether through his church, individual missionaries or Gideons. His faith could thus be summed by Matthew 4:19, where Jesus tells us “follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Passionate about fish to the end, Norm’s last needlepoint project was of a rainbow trout leaping mightily from the water……. He will be dearly missed.

Norm is survived by his wife of 48 years, Victoria; daughter,

; sons, Theodore (Ellen Lin) Haard and Daniel Haard;

; brother, Richard (Karen) Haard; sister, Carol (Jack) Akerman; nieces, nephews and many other close family members, dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, friends and colleagues from all over the world.

A viewing will be held from 3:30 – 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, July 5, 2012 at Newton-Bracewell Chico Funeral Home. A memorial service will take place at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, July 6, 2012 in the Seventh-day Adventist Church on Academy Drive, in Paradise, CA. In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting donations be sent to Ridge Presbyterian Church Mission Fund, or to The Gideons International in care of Newton-Bracewell Chico Funeral Home.