Norma Lee Ezzell

Just weeks before her passing, Norma Lee Ezzell, at age 93, sat through four overtimes at the Iron Bowl. While her much-loved team did not win, she - by virtue of her attendance - left victorious, a reflection of her life of meaningful and dedicated enthusiasm.

She was born in May 1928 in a big white house in Hamilton, Alabama. She spent her early years there, surrounded by a colorful extended family who epitomized southern eccentricity. While still a child, she moved to the community of Belgreen - a rural hamlet noted for having two gas pumps, three churches, and more headstones than residents. Her father, a dignified and congenial man, served as principal of the school there, a position that made him a de facto community leader and set a lifelong model of quiet service and humility.

On her first day of school in Belgreen she met Bobby Ezzell, the boy she would later marry and build a life with. After high school she attended Alabama Polytechnic Institute, now Auburn University. She was soon joined by the aforementioned Mr. Ezzell, after he completed the minimal enlistment in the U.S. Navy to qualify for educational benefits under the G.I. Bill (and not a day more). After graduation, the couple settled in Chattanooga. In 1952 they bought a modest home in East Ridge, the same home she died in seventy years later.

In that home she patiently raised four vastly different but very honorable children; Bob Ezzell (Eileen), Beth Daugherty (Jerry), Al Ezzell (Liz) and Tim Ezzell (Pat). Following the example of her father, she instilled in them a love for knowledge and service. In addition to being a devoted mother, she also taught first grade at East Ridge Elementary School for an eon. During that time, she gave hundreds of children a passion for reading and learning. She also, through her work, helped them acquire the values of kindness, responsibility, and empathy.

Death robbed her of her husband in 1990. She spent the next three decades travelling the world, knitting socks, and watching a seemingly endless torrent of ESPN. During that time – at least until 2021 - she only missed attending two Auburn home football games. In addition to her beloved family and equally beloved Auburn, she had a fondness for sewing, cooking, reading, spicy food, weak coffee, chocolate, Oldsmobiles, Harry Truman, and fried shellfish -especially from Wolf Bay Lodge in Foley, Alabama.

Her dislikes were also well known. They included the University of Alabama, alumni of the University of Alabama, fans of the University of Alabama (which, she would note, seem to outnumber alumni by a wide margin), crimson, houndstooth, ignorance, cruelty, hubris, indifference, cowbells, and - in recent years - the University of Georgia.

She is survived by a large and diverse family that includes its fair share of misfits and oddballs. This brood includes her nine grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. They will all miss her dearly. The family will celebrate her life with a visitation at the East Chapel of Chattanooga Funeral Home on Thursday February 17, 2022 from 4 – 7 pm. She will be laid to rest with her husband, Robert in the Chattanooga National Cemetery on Thursday February 17, 2022 at 1:00 pm. You can also celebrate her life by showing kindness to a child, patience with a senior, or compassion to a hungry or lost animal.

The family would like to express their profound gratitude to Norma's long-time neighbors, Mike and Misty Chauncey for their help and support over the years. They are also grateful for the work of Britney Flanagan, Kristi Wester, and all of the nurses and staff of Hearth Hospice. Lastly, they also appreciate the dedication of the East Ridge City Library, who kept Norma supplied with reading material through the pandemic.

In lieu of flowers, her family requests that donations be made to her alma mater, the Auburn University College of Human Sciences, or to the East Ridge City Library, an institution commendable for its example of kind and dedicated service.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.ChattanoogaEastChapel.com for the Ezzell family.

Arrangements are under the care of Chattanooga Funeral Home Crematory and Florist East Chapel, 404 South Moore Rd. East Ridge, TN 37412.