Norma G. Lane

As a child, Norma dreamed of becoming a nurse when she witnessed the professionals caring for her mother during a stay at St. Joseph's Hospital in Atlanta. She was offered a candy striper opportunity, but her mother discouraged her from volunteering. The family was devout Southern Baptist, and she feared her daughter would convert to Catholicism and become a nun.

Still, Norma went on to graduate from high school, start a family, and forge her own path into the healthcare industry as an administrative assistant. She worked for more than 30 years at Moccasin Bend Mental Health Institute and Johnson Mental Health Center. She continued to help with filing and transcription after her retirement. She also volunteered and worked as a patient advocate at Chattanooga's Memorial Hospital.

At home, Norma was most content when atop a ladder--either inside painting walls or outside cleaning the gutters. Often the only time you could find her sitting still was at sunset, when she and her dogs gathered on the screened-in porch to watch the moon and stars take their watch over her beloved lakefront.

Many will remember Norma as the kindest person they knew. She often drove miles out of her way to leave food or other small gifts with no note or desire for credit for her acts of service. If your dirty laundry went missing, you could always count on it showing up a day or two later, cleaned and pressed with care. An unlucky few will remember Norma as someone who rarely minced words when she thought they were out of line or had harmed someone she loved. She was the fiercest woman to hold the titles of "Mother" and "Nanny."

Norma is survived by her daughter Gail Smartt Reed (John); grandchildren Alison Law (Zach), Adam Smartt, Ashley Condra (Dwayne), and Anna Higdon (Dustin); and great-granddaughters Aryn and Dovie.

She was preceded in death by her son Phillip Dennis Smartt; husband Charles Henry Lane; sister Marjorie Gibson Woodall and brother Richard Albert Hairston; and father William Albert Hairston. Norma attributed much of her strength to the women she grew up with, including her mother Willie Geraldine Gibson Hairston Patterson, and her aunts Ruby, Madge, and Ken.

A graveside memorial service will be held Wednesday, February 14, 2024, from 10:00 to 10:30 a.m. at Chattanooga National Cemetery, 1200 Bailey Avenue, Chattanooga, TN 37404.

Please share your thoughts and memories at www.chattanooganorthchapel.com.