Obituary of Mary Theresa Norton

Passed away, unexpectedly, with her family at her bedside, on Tuesday, August 24, 2021, at the age of 87. Mary was born in Ithaca NY, daughter of Robert and Helen (Weeks) Pearson. She was predeceased by her husband and best friend, William J. Norton; daughters, Kathleen Leach and Julia Norton; daughter-in-law Anita Norton; brothers Robert and Richard Pearson; sister Gay Ann Bloomfield. Mary is survived by children, Robert (Michelle) Norton, Bill (Susan) Norton, Patricia Coughlin, Bonnie Flynn, Pierce Norton, and Carol (Victor) Finch; sisters, Sharon (Ray) Kellogg and Carol (Peter) Paciorek; sisters-in-law and brother--in-law, Sister Julia Marie Norton, Sisters of Mercy, Joseph and Mary Ann Norton; twenty-seven grandchildren, twenty-six great grandchildren, one great-great grandson; several nieces and nephews. Mary was full of life, a truly gracious woman, kind and generous, a friend to all. Her greatest passions were raising her family and her charities. An active communicant of Our Lady of Lourdes Church, Mary, along with her husband Bill, was a leader for the Community Soup Kitchen, for the annual Christmas Basket project, along with many other volunteer efforts. Family and friends are invited to McInerny Funeral Home on Sunday, August 29, 2021, from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. A prayer service will be held there on Monday, August 30, 2021, at 12:45 p.m. A Mass of Christian Burial at St. Patrick's Church, 604 Park Place, Elmira, will follow at 1:30 p.m. A livestream of the Mass will be available through the Facebook page for Most Holy Name of Jesus Parish (https://www.facebook.com/ElmiraCatholic). Committal prayers and burial will follow at St. Peter and Paul's Cemetery. Masks are strongly recommended at both the funeral home and St. Patrick's Church. Those wishing may remember Mary with a donation to The Southern Tier Pregnancy Resource Center, 375 W. Water St., Elmira NY 14901; The Kathleen Norton Leach Memorial Scholarship, c/o Robert Leach, 17 Highland Road, Fairfax VT 05454, for a scholarship at Notre Dame High School; or Catholic Charities of Chemung and Schuyler, 215 E. Church St., Elmira NY 14901. LADIES DIVISION OF THE ANCIENT ORDER OF HIBERNIANS, WILL MEET AT THE FUNERAL HOME ON SUNDAY, AUGUST 29, 2021, AT 6:00 P.M., TO CONDUCT A SERVICE FOR OUR SISTER, MARY. SIGNED, BETSY TOLBERT, PRESIDENT