Born in Brooklyn, New York on September 18, 1928, she was married to the late John Hone
Bartol and her first husband the late Alexander David Walker, Jr. She was the daughter of the
Late Joseph Baird and Norma Werner Magnus of Greenwich and New York City. She attended
Greenwich Academy, Rosemary Junior School, Miss Hewitt’s in New York City and Columbia
University.
After college, Norma was active as a journalist and an early “ski bum”, both were
pursuit’s somewhat revolutionary for a young woman in the 1940’s. She was the Social Editor
for the Greenwich Time and wrote a column entitled the Social Whirl. She also wrote
extensively for the Greenwich Review which later became Greenwich Magazine. In her early
20’s she spent a winter in Stowe Vermont working for her cousins lodge the Warner Brothers
ski lodge and writing for both the Stowe Reporter and the Mt. Mansfield Ski Club Publication, all
while learning the new sport of skiing.
Back in Greenwich and newly married, Norma became active in politics, horses, real estate,
sports and a growing family. In politics, she joined and then became President of the Young
Republicans of Connecticut and was on staff for Senator Prescot Bush. Further, in 1962 she
worked on John Alsop’s campaign for Governor of Connecticut and in 1963 for Lowell
Weicker’s campaign for First Selectman.
Riding, tennis, and skiing were her main sports. She her first husband, the late David Walker,
skied extensively at Stowe, Vermont taking the Snow Train from New York City to Waterbury,
Vermont. Later she skied at Mad River Glen where she especially enjoyed the camaraderie of
the Amateur Ski Club of New York that has a lodge at the base of the mountain.
She was very involved with many organizations in Greenwich. She was a past president of the
Greenwich Riding & Trails Association and a long-time board member. She was very involved at
the Greenwich Historical Society and was President of the Northwest Greenwich Association.
She was active with the Greenwich Preservation Trust and most notably
was honored with the 2019 Preservation Leadership Award in recognition of her decades of
advocacy and tireless support for the preservation of Greenwich history.
Her greatest love however were her four children and her seven grandchildren. In April of
2021 she was thrilled to become a great grandmother.
She and her second husband, John Bartol summered on Fishers Island, New York for 30 years,
where she was an avid tennis player, enjoyed golf and sailing. They were members of Fishers
Island Club, Hay Harbor Club, and the FI Yacht Club. They were members of the Jupiter Island
Club in Hobe Sound, Florida where they wintered. In Greenwich they were members of the
Field Club and the Indian Harbor Yacht Club where Johnny was commodore.
As her children grew, she returned to journalism and a new pursuit, real estate. She joined the
real estate firm, Duff Associates in Greenwich and presided over real estate sales for 20 years.
In addition, she re-joined the Greenwich Time as a columnist. Her weekly column Back Country
Greenwich was published from 2002 until her final column two years before her death. Her
columns focused on Greenwich history, preservation, and politics.
She is survived by her four children; Alex Walker (Alyson) of Del Ray Beach, Florida; Hilary Hotchkiss (Win) of New Canaan, Ct, Lucia Walker of Fulham, England; and Douglass Walker of Brookline, Mass.; seven grandchildren - David Walker, Brooks Walker, Win Hotchkiss and Leslie Hotchkiss Hayes, Henry, Thomas, and Amelia Walker and two great grandchildren. In addition, two stepsons, Peter Bartol (Rose) of Charlottesville, Virginia; and John Bartol Jr. (Cindy) of Alexandria, Virginia and four step-grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to Greenwich Riding & Trails Association or
Greenwich Historical Society.
Memorial Service will be held Monday, June 6 at St Barnabas Episcopal Church, 954 Lake Avenue, Greenwich.
Leo Gallagher Funeral Home, Greenwich, CT is handling arrangements.
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