Norma Galbraith Davenport

Born in Ponca City, Oklahoma on the 2nd of April 1943, she was the only daughter of Don Sebring Galbraith and Marcella Myers Galbraith. Norma had 4 brothers: Charles Galbraith (deceased), Robert Galbraith, Doug Galbraith and David Galbraith.

Norma attended grade school and junior high in Ponca City, as well as Ponca City High School. The High School inducted Norma into the Ponca City High School’s Hall of Fame a few years back to honor all of her life achievements. It was while in junior high that she met her life partner, her husband of sixty-four years, JC Davenport. Norma met JC, when she asked him to a Sadie Hawkins’ dance, because she had decided that he was the cutest boy in the high school. And, he also had a car. He accepted, and the rest is history.

JC and Norma married while still in high school. They welcomed James Richard Davenport (Rick) into their new family on the 30th of December 1960. Norma put her head down, as a young wife and mother, and went about taking care of her new family, her new home, while working day jobs to assist in supporting this new family, so JC could attend college at University of Oklahoma (OU). After JC graduated from OU, Norma and JC began their cross-country adventures, as JC built his life-long career in the oil and gas business. While stopped over in Dallas, Texas, their middle son, David Wayne Davenport was born on the 14th of July 1966. Their daughter, Susan Elaine Davenport, arrived later on the 22nd of September 1969, in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Susan gave both parents a lot of grief over having had her in a city with the hardest name to spell!

After finally landing in Houston, where they lived until Norma’s death (except for 10 years in Kerrville, Texas), Norma obtained her college degree in Political Science at the University of Houston on the 14th of August 1976, and then went on to obtain a Doctorate in Jurisprudence from the University of Houston Law School on the 12th of May 1979. During Norma’s third year in law school, she interned with the Harris County District Attorney’s office, which went on to hire her as an Assistant District Attorney after she passed the Bar. She quickly rose the ladders to become one of the very fore-most accomplished litigation attorneys in the office. Norma was a Senior Felony Chief of a District Court upon her retirement from the District Attorney’s office.

Norma then moved onto the Union Pacific Railroad, where she was hired for her trial skills and tasked with building a stellar inhouse litigation division for the Railroad. Norma very successfully accomplished this task. She went on to the position of General Solicitor of the Houston Region of the Railroad, a position that had never been held by a woman. She retired from the Railroad in 2002 and went on to enjoy retirement for many years.

Norma was licensed to practice law in the United States District Court for the Southern District, the United States Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit, and the Texas Supreme Court.

In retirement, Norma enjoyed her many projects. She enjoyed her time at their Angel Fire, New Mexico house, where she sent friends and family the latest pictures of a huge bear climbing up onto her outdoor patio. And, as was Norma’s way of embracing adventure, these were pictures she had taken outside on the outdoor patio just a few feet from the climbing bear, by herself. Norma loved having friends and family visit at the Angel Fire house for summer adventures and winter skiing.

Her greatest retirement project was designing the Great House that she and JC built from the ground up in Kerrville. The entire design was imagined, created and sketched by Norma, with help from her two architect brothers, Charles and Doug. The final result was breath-taking.

After about 10 years in Kerrville, JC and Norma moved back to Houston to be closer to their children, David and Susan, as well as her brother, David and his family, along with lifelong friends.

Her love of life never wavered. Just a few months before her death, Norma eagerly began classes for Mahjong. She was determined to master those complicated tiles. When asked how it was going, Norma smiled slyly and said not bad, but it would go a lot faster if a few of the other students would get it together. She never told any names…

Norma was and will always be the rock of our family. She loved dearly her husband and her three children and their spouses, along with her grandchildren and great grandchildren, nieces and nephews, and host of dear friends too numerous to name. She was predeceased by her parents, her oldest brother Charles and wife Linda. She is survived by her husband, JC, and her three children: Rick and his wife, Masako, as well as two sons, Sho and Seiya, and Rick’s daughter Michelle; David and his wife, Lotty, as wells as two sons Pablo and wife Angel, and Taylor and wife Rebecca; daughter Susan.

Friends are cordially invited to a visitation with the family from five o’clock in the afternoon until seven o’clock in the evening on Thursday, the 7th of November in the library and grand foyer of Geo. H. Lewis & Sons, 1010 Bering Drive in Houston.

A funeral service is to be conducted at eleven o’clock in the morning on Friday, the 8th of November in the Jasek Chapel of Geo. H. Lewis & Sons, 1010 Bering Drive in Houston. Immediately following, all are invited to greet the family during a reception in the adjacent grand foyer.

The family will gather for a private interment at Glenwood Cemetery in Houston.