Norma Gold, 91

Norma Gold, a North Woodmere resident whose family founded the Hempstead-based Gold’s Pure Foods Products Company, died on Aug. 21. She was 91.
Born in Brooklyn on Sept. 12, 1923 to Sidney and Sally Sparer, she was the eldest of three children. She had two younger brothers.
It was on Aug. 15, 1945, on the date that Japan surrendered in World War II, was also the same date when Norma Sparer met Morris Gold, according to Jason Gold, their youngest son. “Grandma always liked to say that she was driving with Bobbie, her mother, down the street in Brooklyn, and saw a good looking man in uniform,” he said. “Well one thing we know is that but for the dropping of the atom bomb, grandma and grandpa would not have met that day and likely never would have been together.”
Known as the magical grandparents, “G&G,” Norma and Morris doted on their six grandchildren, and were married for 58 years.
In Norma’s later years, she moved to the Bristal in North Woodmere in 2003. Granddaughter, Fara Gold, recalls how her grandmother brought people together through thought-provoking discussions.

“During her time there, she started the ‘Bristalettes,’” she said. “It was her version of “The View,” in which she hosted panel discussions for her fellow residents. They discussed current events and issues, and my grandmother hosted guest speakers. Me, my sister, my four cousins, our friends, my uncle on the other side of the family, my mom, my dad and countless others were cajoled into speaking for the ‘Bristalettes.’”
Jason noted that when Norma was a young woman that times were much different than they are now, as her husband and sons, Marc and Steven, operated Gold’s. Best known for its bottled horseradish, the company was acquired by LaSalle Capital, a Chicago-based private investment firm last month.
“Growing up and through most of grandma’s adult life, we know of course how culture and society limited the ability of women to be accomplished outside the home,” Jason said. “If she had gone to college and then graduate school or perhaps a professional school and had lived just one generation later, one can easily imagine that grandma could have been the president of a major corporation or perhaps mayor of New York City.”
She will be remembered also for her love of her family and fashion. “She was a strong, no-nonsense woman who spoke her mind, full of class and aplomb,” Fara said. “Her sense of style, sense of community, and sense of tradition will be carried on and celebrated by her children.”
Norma is survived by her three sons, Marc (Rosalie), Steven (Terri), and Jason (Margi); her eight grandchildren: Fara, Melissa, Taryn, Justin, Scott, Colleen, Kevin, and Shaun; and her four-week-old great-grandson, Austin. She was predeceased by Morris, who died in 2004.
Services were held at Boulevard-Riverside Chapels on Aug. 23. Burial followed at Wellwood Cemetery in Farmingdale. “Missing you more than you will ever know,” said granddaughter Melissa Gold on Norma’s online memorial page.
To send a donation in Norma’s memory, the family wishes to support the Hospice and Palliative Care program of the MJHS Foundation, in care of the Metropolitan Jewish Hospice Service at: MJHS Foundation, 39 Broadway, 3rd floor, New York, NY 10006.