Norma Mae Harris

By anyone’s definition, Norma Harris was an amazing person. By the time she passed away September 27 at the age of 100, she had seen profound changes in the world and adapted to all of them with hard work, tenacity and good health. She had just celebrated her centennial at a family reunion in July, also cheered on by neighbors and a cadre of wonderful caregivers. She was still singing songs in her native Italian language the week before she passed on.

Norma was born at home July 1, 1925, in the small Northern California lumber town of Weed, to Matilde Sbarbaro and Pietro Marani, whose families had emigrated from the small Italian towns of Chiavari, along the Mediterranean coast, and Bagnone, in the marble mountain region of Tuscany, to the similar mountainous regions in Siskiyou County.

Only when the family moved to Broderick after the Depression and Norma started first grade did the family begin to speak English. Her father announced they were Americans now and would indeed assimilate.

Although Depression-era life was not easy, the family grew their own fruits and vegetables. Pietro was an avid hunter and fisherman who also foraged mushrooms when back in Siskiyou County. Matilde would prepare all the food and canned what they could not readily eat. While raising four children, they also owned and operated a tavern (long-since razed) in what is n ow the now State Historic Park, Old Sacramento.

When Norma and her sister Dora were in their early 20s, they met two returning WWII servicemen, Kent Harris and his best friend, Joe Campoy. Soon thereafter, the sisters married the two men, cementing family and friendship. Lots of children followed, also from brothers Robert Marani and Phil and Alan Harris, creating one big happy family with 18 first cousins, many day-trip picnics, and huge family gatherings with endless Italian food.

Norma and Kent eventually bought Kent’s father’s two-man company, Harris Welding Works, still in business and notably the oldest business in Citrus Heights. Kent’s dream was to move out of the “big city” of Citrus Heights and up into the mountains. He built the family home in Applegate in 1954, where Norma lived until her death.

Although relegated to raising four children and keeping the company’s books, Norma still found time to involve herself in the local community, founding the Applegate Well Baby Clinic, actively participating in PTA, 4-H, Camp Fire Girls, Head Start, St. Joseph’s Church, Italian Catholic Federation, Catholic Ladies’ Relief Society, and the local MotherSingers chapter.

When Kent died suddenly in 1974 while skiing at Boreal Ridge, Norma was thrust into the world of business and community. Not one to shy away from hard work, she maintained a talented and responsible staff to keep the business going. She eventually served as president of the Auburn Area Chamber of Commerce, Soroptimist International of Auburn, Italian Catholic Federation, and Business & Professional Women’s Club. Norma never really retired, mulling over daily reports and company financials well into her 90s, and she enjoyed seeing the company grow to four facilities in two states.

The youngest of three daughters, Norma’s older sisters Assunta and Dora, along with her younger brother Robert, all predeceased her, as did her granddaughter, Ashley Harris Haupt.

A few years after Kent’s passing, Norma met Bruce Norton, and the two were dear companions for over three decades until Bruce’s passing in 2013. Bruce was the ever-ready driver and escort, with Norma at his side at countless community events.

Norma is survived by her four children, Joanne Garland (Bill Keithler), Kathleen Harris (Mark Miller), Marilee Gordon (Stephen), and Kent Harris (Robin); grandchildren Amy Supinger, Sarah Lustfield, Aaron Haupt, Tessa Enright and Hunter Harris; great-grandchildren Scarlett and Ashton Lustfield, Anthony and Tristan Haupt, and Anders Squires. Her beloved dog, Toby, age 20, waited for Norma to pass and joined her in Heaven a few days later.

A funeral mass will be held at noon, November 15, at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Auburn.