Norma Lafave Rush

Born in Bay City, Michigan on December 31, 1921 to E.T. and Wanda LaFave. Graduated from Jackson High School in Jackson, Michigan in 1940. She attended Western Michigan College of Education studying for a Physical Education degree as she loved sports and was a good athlete and exceled in all ladies sports.

As the war broke out she enlisted in the Navy WAVES and attended Hunter College in New York as the 3rd group to go through there. After 3 weeks of training she was sent to the University of Wisconsin training as a Stenographer and graduated as a 3rd class Yeoman. With duties in administration at Great Lakes Wisconsin, and Detroit Michigan where she made a movie about the WAVES. She left the Navy from N.A.S Grosse Ile, Michigan as a Chief Yeoman.

As a result of a beauty contest sponsored by the Grosse Ile Marines she became a Powers Model and did TV modeling. She later worked in the supply department at Grosse Ile and met the C.O. of the Naval Hospital and her future husband, Dr. Tony Rush. They were married in 1948 and spent the next 40 years with family traveling from Pensacola to Rhode Island to Pensacola to Norfolk, VA, Washington D.C., Rota, Spain (where Tony was C.O. of the Navy Hospital), back to Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina as C.O. of the Navy Hospital; and back to N.A.S. Pensacola, Florida where Dr. Rush was C.O. of Ambulatory Services from Mississippi to lower Florida. When in 1980 Dr. Rush retired from the U.S. Navy they made their home in Pensacola, Florida.

After taking Lessons in Rota, Spain, golf became Norma’s favorite sport where she served as President of Ladies Golf at N.A.S. Rota, Cherry Point, and Pensacola. She was also a member of Alpha Delta Rho Sorority of Michigan.

She is preceded in death by her husband of 66 years who passed away in 2014; and son, Tony II who passed away in 1998. She is survived by her daughter, Pamela Bailey (Gary) of Vail, Arizona; and son, Timothy Rush (Beverly) of Memphis, Tennessee; son, Michael Rush of Panama City, Florida; and grandchildren, Timmy Rush (Sara Jane) of North Carolina, Parker (Kristen) Rush of South Haven, Mississippi, Heather Riedel of Florida; and great grandchildren Kayley, Taylor, and Palmer of North Carolina and Eleanor, Emmy, and Eliza of South Haven, Mississippi.

Services will be held at a later date.