Margaret Taft Norris

Margaret Taft NORRIS Margaret Taft Norris died January 31st 2011 at the age of 102 after a loving, full and rewarding life. She was born on October 4, 1908 in Warsaw, Indiana to Judge Walter Scott Brubaker and Mary Barron Brubaker. Margaret was preceded in death by her parents, her sister Dorothy, her husbands, Cyrus A. Taft and Robert N. Norris and her oldest son, JohnC. Taft. Two sons, David A. Taft (Sheila) of Seattle and Michael E. Taft (Anne) of Whidbey Island survive her. She loved and was greatly loved by her grandchil- dren, Deborah (Ken), Robert, Michael, Ben (Katie), and Lindsay, and her five great grandchildren. Margaret graduated from Warsaw High School in Warsaw Indiana in 1926. She attended the University of Wisconsin in Madison, Wisconsin where she met and married Cyrus A. Taft in 1928. Cyrus passed away in 1949. She was later married to Robert Norris of Ames, Iowa in 1955, She was a lifelong avid sports fan and loved, but was frequently disappointed by her favorite Chicago Cubs. Her love of sports started when her father began taking her to Notre Dame football games. Her favorite team was the Cyclones of Iowa State University located in Ames, Iowa where she lived from 1941 until 1962. She always spoke highly of the University and immensely enjoyed her time while working Iowa State's Home Economics Department as assistant to the Dean. She was a voracious reader, particularly liking biographies and history. She was a superb bridge player and played until the age of 92 and was always selected as a favorite partner by her friends and bridge club members. She was a lifelong member of P.E.O where she made many friends as she and her husband Robert moved from Ames to Denver to Pasadena California and finally to Seattle because of Robert's work as a senior executive for the Coca Cola Company. She and her older sister Dorothy Challman of Mount Vernon, Indiana exchanged letters almost weekly for 80 years until Dorothy passed away early in 2006. They were truly the closest of sisters. Margaret loved to travel and made several voyages of freighters that carried small groups of adventurous travelers. She made several trips to Europe including one with her grandson Michael that they both enjoyed tremendously. Her most exciting trip was a safari to Africa with her sister, her niece Katzie and her nephew Steve. She particularly enjoyed her China expedition, one of her last trips, which she made in her 80's. Margaret and her family are grateful for the professional and personal care she received from the staff of Richmond Beach Rehabilitation during her last years.