Eleanor Knight Norton

Born on March 21, 1914 in Elkhart, Indiana to Charles Haldaine Knight and Anna Goodman Knight, Eleanor attended Jimtown Elementary School and Jimtown High School, graduating in 1933 among a class of 17. She had many vivid and happy memories of growing up in the country with her five siblings, Helen, Ruth, Peg, Paul, and Kay. All but Kay predeceased her.

Eleanor attended Adrian College, in Adrian, Michigan, where she met the love of her life, Laurence Eugene Norton, who was her speech teacher at Adrian. She was homecoming queen, and, before she and Laurence were introduced, he watched her roller skating and always looked to see when she walked from the college buildings, so he could then walk past her in the other direction.

Eleanor and Laurence were married on August 11, 1935, beginning sixty-six years of happy marriage. The couple moved to Eureka, Illinois, where he taught speech and drama at Eureka College, and where Eleanor taught in a one-room school in Kickapoo, Illinois. While in Eureka, the couple had their two children, Jeanne Valeria (June 22, 1940) and Laurence Eugene, II, (February 24, 1944).

Eleanor and Laurence moved to Peoria in 1949, where they lived together until Laurence died on February 14, 2001. He taught at Bradley University, where he chaired the Speech Department.

Eleanor began teaching special needs children at Neighborhood House in Peoria in 1950. She taught continuously at various locations in Peoria, including Glen Oak School and Jamieson School, until she retired in 1979. Eleanor was a member of planning committee for the construction of Robert A. Jamieson School and in 1975 became its first principal.

Eleanor received her B.A. from Bradley University in English and Special Education in 1954 and a Masters in Administration from Bradley in 1955. Eleanor was admitted to Phi Beta Kappa at Bradley and was a long-time member of Delta Kappa Gamma.

From 1950 until it closed its doors, Eleanor and Laurence were active members and leaders of the West Bluff Christian Church in West Peoria. Eleanor was a devoted Christian who prayed and read her Bible and devotions daily.

Very competitive at cards, at which she excelled, and with a good sense of humor, Eleanor loved and doted on her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. She was loved by her friends, and later by her caregivers, in part because she did not complain or focus on her own needs but always showed she cared about her many friends and those around her. From 2002 until the fall of 2012, Eleanor lived happily at Lutheran Hillside Village on Galena Road, where she made many new friends and renewed friendships from earlier times. To the end she retained her cheery smile and at the very end, a wink.

Eleanor was predeceased by all siblings (except Kay), her husband, Laurence, her daughter, Jeanne V. Austin and her granddaughter, Emma Hope Short. She is survived by her family, all of whom expressed their love and devotion to her to the end of her life, including her loving son, Laurence, II (Helen), her grandchildren, David Austin (Beth), Robert Austin (Tami), Susan Short (John), Matthew Norton (Jane), Samantha Bakker-Norton (Tim), and Nathaniel Norton, and her great-grandchildren, Lauren Austin, Lindsey Austin, Andrew Austin, Nate Austin, Noah Short, Maya Short and Michelle Koehnen-Norton.

Visitation will be from 4 to 6 pm on Monday, March 4, at the Davison-Fulton Woodland Chapel on North University. Burial will be at the Swan Lake Cemetery at 10:30 am on Tuesday, March 5, followed by a Memorial Service at 1:00 pm at The Waters of Life Chapel at Lutheran Hillside Village on Galena Road. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Delta Kappa Gamma, c/o Mary Jane Sterling, 3223 Chadwick Lane, Peoria, IL 61614.

Online tributes and condolences may be made at www.davison-fulton.com.