Norman Robert Kouba, of New Holland, PA., walked peacefully from this life to the next on April 7, 2022 to join his wife Rose Marie in God’s kingdom. He was 96.
Norm was born in Atlantic City, NJ, to Rudolf and Christine Kouba, and grew up earning tips in a family store on the Boardwalk. He graduated from Atlantic City High School in 1944 and enlisted in the Navy, serving aboard the USS Rinehart (DE 196) until WWII ended. He married his high school sweetheart, Rose Marie Monastra, in 1948. In 1952 he completed a degree in chemical engineering from the Drexel Institute of Technology and then started a long career with DuPont where he received a trio of patents resulting from his research. A longtime resident of Wilmington, DE, he touched hundreds of lives through decades of volunteer service: Cubmaster of Pack 32, Scoutmaster of Troop 328, district-wide Scouting leadership including 25 years of Catholic Scout retreats; and decades of multi-faceted service at the Mary Campbell Center, and at Immaculate Heart of Mary and Holy Rosary Catholic churches. He particularly enjoyed teaching GED courses to the residents at the Mary Campbell center. He continued to volunteer after retiring to the Garden Spot Village in New Holland, PA. He saw himself as both a scientist and a man of faith.
He is preceded in death by his wife of 66 years, Rose Marie, and his brother, Rudolph. He is survived by four children: Mary Patricia of Wilmington, DE, Peter of Freeport, ME, Christopher of Chesapeake, VA, and Stephen of Saco, ME, and by six grandchildren and three great grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to the Mary Campbell Center or Del-Mar-Va Council, BSA.
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