Dorothy Mae Norris

Dorothy Mae Norris died peacefully in her sleep at home, at the age of 99, on December 19, 2015. She was the beloved wife of the late George C. Norris, mother of Janet Stephens, Nancy Hanna and Scott Norris, grandmother of Joan Nardiello, the late David Stephens, Stephanie Simmons, Michael Stephens, Tim Stephens, and Christian Pittillo, great grandmother of Rebecca Hupke, David Nardiello, Jeffrey Rettberg, Rachel Stephens, Sara Stephens, Haley Stephens, and Ellie Stephens and great-great grandmother of Logan Bender.

Relatives and friends are invited to join us for a visitation at Schimunek Funeral Home of Bel Air, Inc., 610 W. MacPhail Rd., Bel Air MD 21014 on Sunday, December 17, from 12-2 and 4-6 PM. There will be a brief service and shared remembrances at 5:00 PM.

Afterwards, family, friends and guests are invited back to Mom' s house, five minutes away at 205 Crafton Rd, for refreshments.

Online tributes and photos may be shared at www.schimunekfuneralhomes.com. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Salvation Army of Central Maryland.

MOM - Mom's life cannot be described properly without including the love of her life, our Dad, George

Mom was born, in Duquesne Junction, PA, outside of Pittsburgh, a grimy little town which mined coal and was dissected by a network of freight railways. The three of them lived with her maternal grandmother, Laura Dunbar Williams until Mom was five and her Mother became pregnant with her second child, Dolores. Soon after they moved a few towns away to a newly built community of duplexes sponsored by US Steel, Mom's Grandmother died leaving behind her five year old daughter, Ruth. Since Ruth's father traveled nationally working on huge engineering projects, Grandma brought Ruth home that same night and raised her as a beloved sister to my Mom. The family grew to include daughter Dolly, son Joe, and a daughter, Joy, who was lost at the age of eight months....an unforgettable blow to the family. They lived in the suburbs of Universal where our Grandfather served as a shipping manager at Universal Cement, a subsidiary of US Steel, so there were typical stories of bike and scooter riding, hair dye and permanent jobs run amuck, and gardens planted and trampled.

Mom met Dad at the age of 16 and they dated throughout high school. She liked to play the field until Dad gave her an ultimatum which she heeded.....a pattern which we would witness throughout their lives. After graduating a year early from Union High School in Turtle Creek, she went to work at the Kresge's dime store where she managed the small department of sewing supplies. Although they married in 1937 during the Depression, they started their life together with the hope of building a happy and secure life....and bless them.... they did just that.

After many tears on the part of Mom and Grandma Cushman who was devastated at being separated from her first granddaughter, they moved briefly to Reading PA then settled in Baltimore around 1941 when Janet was about two. Although Dad had followed a job opportunity with McFadden Publishing as a magazine representative, he applied and was hired as a Conductor for the Pennsylvania Railroad. As essential personnel he was exempted from military service in World War II and Mom expressed her profound gratitude her entire life. When the family added a second daughter, Nancy, Dad bought a Texaco station to supplement their income so Mom could stay home with the kids. He worked constantly and held down a brutal unpredictable schedule, so Mom put up the storm windows, painted walls, kept the gas station books and paid bills, called employees to cover shifts, and effectively held down the fort at home while Dad was gone. Mom also contributed to the bottom line by running a tight ship and sewing beautiful clothes and Easter outfits for the family. But even in hardship circumstances there was always the joy of living. Dad would get home late at night and we could hear them dancing and laughing together in the living room long after we kids went to bed. Mom and Dad fell in love with the Chesapeake Bay and its crabs so Dad bought a Chris Craft cabin cruiser which provided years of good times for friends and family, including son Scott and future grandchildren.

There were endless good times whenever we visited with our Florida and Pittsburgh families. They would put all the cousins to bed at night and we could hear their enjoyment at being back together in the kitchen into the wee hours. Mom and Dad built rewarding and lasting friendships through neighbors, gas station customers, work, and the Boumi Temple. Our family enjoyed recreational and educational travel to New York City, Canada, and Florida to visit our paternal grandparents and Dad's brothers and sisters. They both worked hard, maintaining a welcoming home, ensuring a peaceful and secure family environment, demonstrating values through expectation and example, and teaching us an intelligent approach to education, world events, national policies and responsible citizenship....but above all there was always the love and respect for us and each other.

Upon his railroad retirement and the sale of the gas station, Mom and Dad moved from Baltimore City to Bel Air in 1977 where they enjoyed more space; Mom created flowering gardens and Dad dabbled in vegetables while getting out on the Bay as much as he could on "Fish Tales." Their house became a second home for friends and grandchildren, enriching our lives with memories which comfort us to this day. When Dad developed and died of lung cancer in 1989 the entire family suffered the pain of watching the end of a beautiful love affair. Even through her heartbreak Mom handled her grief privately and went on for 26 years supporting friends and family and providing love and fun with hilarious shopping trips, hours of relaxing on her front porch and beating us at the continuing card games in her kitchen. To her housekeeping and gardening passions she added mowing the lawn, previously Dad's job, which she continued to do until age 95 or 96. We always thanked her for hanging in there so we could enjoy the pleasure of her company throughout the decades. She became our family treasure and while we are bereft by her loss we are grateful that she left this life quietly at home as she wished.