Jeannette Marie (Pat) Norvell, 96, died in her home in Altamonte Springs on May 15, 2016.

Born in Holyoke, Massachusetts on May 28, 1919, she was the second of 7 children born to Charles Chagnon and Reina Demers.

Pat was never idle. Forced by circumstance to drop out of high school, she worked to support her parents and siblings during the Depression. She became a skilled machinist during WWII, a skill she continued to use during the Korean War. As a homemaker, it was her task to move the family to new quarters each time her husband was reassigned. She was also active in the Girl Scouts and assumed leadership roles in Europe. Following her husband's retirement, they moved to Orlando in 1971, settling in Altamonte Springs in 1976, where she became a real estate property manager. In 2006 she returned to her old high school, where she received her diploma at a special Veteran's Day ceremony.

Pat is survived by her husband of 63 years CMSgt(Ret) Bill Norvell, four children- Mike Norvell of Reston, VA; Carol Miller of Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario; Bill Norvell of Jacksonville and Sandy Schultz of Altamonte Springs; eight grandchildren and fifteen great-grandchildren.

In lieu of flowers, her family asks that donations in Pat's name be made to: St. Jude's Children's Hospital at www.stjude.org or Shriner's Hospital for Children at 855-365-4438