Lola B. Norton

Lola Belle Murphy Norton, 89, passed away peacefully November 10, 2005. Lola was born on March 29, 1916, in Woodbury, Tennessee, to John K. and Della Wheeler (Campbell) Murphy. Lola was the 11th of 15 children who for the last 17 years she made her home in Sault Ste. Marie, MI. Lola was also proud to call Poplar Bluff MO, Benton Harbor MI, Hayti MO, Hartsell AL and Woodbury TN home. She was a member of and Sunday school teacher at Niles Ave. Baptist Church in St. Joseph, Michigan and 1st Baptist Church in Poplar Bluff, Missouri. She also attended 1st Baptist Church, in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. Lola was also a member of the Chippewa County War Memorial Hospital Auxilliary. Lola’s life’s work and greatest joy was her family, whom she loved abundantly. She enjoyed family reunions, traveling, dancing, singing, bead work, and quilting. Lola inherited her love of music and quilting from her mother, Della. She was born into a farm family and married into one as well, and was no stranger to hard work. The depression, wars, childbirth, family loss, all made her a strong and independently-minded woman–a woman her family was proud to call their Mama Lola. Lola will be greatly missed by her children, Georgia (Thomas) VanMeter of Wabash IN, B. Ernest Norton, of Poplar Bluff MO, Rinthy E. Cluff and Sharon H. Kennedy of Sault Ste. Marie MI, her daughter-in-law, Lorna, son-in-law Tom VanMeter, her sister Hazel Murphy Ward of Watervliet MI, sisters-in-law Helen (Dolly) Murphy of Hartford MI, Lorene Murphy of Hayti MO., 20 grandchildren: Terre, Kerre, Charles Edward, Julia, Shanna Lynn, Perry, Scott, Jeff, Susie, Laurie, Kelly, Mark, Lisa, John, Matt, Jason, Jeff, Tracy, Lola and Caroline; 37 great grandchildren, 2 great-great grandchildren, numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins – each of whom she was proud to call a member of her family. Lola was preceded in death by her parents and husband B. Shannon Norton and their sons Gregory and Charles and daughter-in-law Julia Yvonne, grandchildren Larry Joseph and Mark Lindel, brothers Beecher, Guy, Floyd, Willie, Jesse, John Wheeler, Ernest, James, Hughie, and sisters, Etta, Alice, Zola Mabel, and Thelma. Lola’s funeral will be held November 14, 2005 at 10:00 am at Starks & Menchinger Family Funeral Home, 2650 Niles Road, St. Joseph. Visiting hours will be from 3-5 P.M. Sunday, November 13 at the funeral home. Burial will be at North Shore Memorial Gardens in Benton Harbor, Michigan, following the funeral services. The family requests memorials be made in lieu of flowers to any worthy charity. To express condolences to the family, please visit www.starks-menchinger.com and sign the guestbook. Lola was loved as wife, mother, grandmother, daughter, sister, aunt, cousin, friend, and neighbor. All those who knew her knew a gracious southern lady who was a good-hearted, generous, and hard-working woman. Rest well, Mama Lola, you will be missed by all who knew you.