Joan Mary Norton

Joan Mary Arbour Norton, 91, of Lake Mary, FL died July 6, 2019 under Hospice Care at the Brookdale Lake Mary Memory Care Senior Living Center. Born in Midland, Ontario, Canada, Joan left Canada in 1952 to marry the love of her life, Dick Norton. They lived in Tennessee for several years then moved to upstate New York where they raised their three children. She and Dick moved from there to the central Florida region in 1984. Joan was an active member of the Altar & Rosary society at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Baldwinsville, NY. Joan’s passion was caring for children in need. She was a lifelong supporter of St. Jude’s Children Hospital. She was living in Memphis at the time Danny Thomas started fundraising to build the hospital. She was one of the initial investors and fund raisers and continued to donate to them monthly for the rest of her life. Joan was a member of St. Peter’s Catholic Church in Deland until 2013, when she moved to Brookdale in Lake Mary. The church of the Nativity in Longwood provided care and spiritual support to Joan after her move. She spoke fondly of the community and appreciated the weekly visits and occasional, thoughtful gifts made for her. She is pre-deceased by her husband Richard L. Norton, two sons, Michael L. Norton, and Timothy E. Norton, and her brother James Arbour. She is survived by her sister, Mary (Arbour) Daca, and brother-in-law, Joseph Daca of Barrie, Ontario, Canada, and daughter, Mary Beth Norton-DiSalvo and son-in-law Andy DiSalvo of Altamonte Springs, FL. She also leaves behind son-in-law Rob McLean and partner Dwayne Lynch, as well as many nieces and nephews. The Patel family in Deland was a constant source of love and support these past 35 years, especially after the passing of her husband. All of them will dearly miss their “Grandma”. Memorial mass to be held at Nativity Catholic Church, 3255 N Ronald Reagan Blvd, Longwood, FL 32750 on July 20th at 11:00am. A reception will be held immediately afterwards at the home of her daughter and son-in-law. Burial will be at a future date at St. Margaret’s Catholic Cemetery, Midland, Ontario. Memorial donations may be made to the Memorial and Honor Program of St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital at https://www.stjude.org/give/memorials-and-dedications.html or mailed directly to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105

Joan Mary Norton

January 20, 1928 - July 6, 2019