Norma Thomas

Family-Placed Death Notice

THOMAS, Norma Norma J. Thomas of Roswell, Georgia, died Saturday, May 7, 2011 of complications from metastatic cancer. She was 85. Norma is survived by her son Bruce E. Thomas of Glen Elyn Illinois, daughter Barbara E. Thomas of Roswell, and grandsons Evan N. Milano and Steven W. Milano. She was predeceased by her husband of 49 years, William Evan Thomas, and their son Gregory E. Thomas. Norma Ann Jorgenson was born September 15, 1925 in Waukegan, Illinois where she lived until college. She enjoyed summers at the beach on Lake Michigan and preferred to be outside at every opportunity. She studied classical ballet for about 20 years. Her teacher encouraged her to get a private high school tutor and move to New York to study. But Norma continued on her traditional education path, attending Northwestern University and graduating with a BS in Psychology in 1947. After graduation, she worked in the Personnel Department at Johnson & Johnson. Norma received her MS in Psychology from Roosevelt University in 1973 and worked as a psychologist with School District 26 in Mount Prospect, Illinois until her retirement in 1990. Norma met her husband, Bill Thomas, at Northwestern, and they married September 17, 1949. Bill was in the Navy Reserve. He was called to active duty during the Korean War and Norma and Bill had the wonderful opportunity to live in Japan for a year in 1954-1955. They developed a love of the Japanese culture and language that they never lost. After returning to the states, Norma and Bill bought a home in Arlington Heights, Illinois where they lived from 1955 to 1990. They retired to Roswell, Georgia in 1990 to be near their daughter Barbara and her family. Norma and Bill traveled the world extensively during retirement until Bill's unexpected death of a heart attack in October 1998. Norma started traveling again in 2000 and continued for seven years. The one place Norma always wanted to visit but was never able to see was the great pyramids in Egypt. Now she has the best view possible. After Bill's death, Norma volunteered at Northwood Elementary School in Roswell, helping second graders with their reading skills. She then moved on to teach English to adults from other countries in a program run at Alpharetta United Methodist Church. Norma found this to be one of her most rewarding experiences. She also enjoyed going to the gym thrice weekly with her dear friends, meeting with the neighborhood book club, doing jigsaw puzzles, and spending time with her grandsons. The funeral service for Norma will be held on Tuesday, May 17th at 3:00 p.m. at St. David's Episcopal Church, 1015 Old Roswell Rd., Roswell, Georgia. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation in Norma's memory to any one of her favorite charities, such as The Nature Conservancy, www.nature. org or the World Wildlife Fund, www.worldwildlife.org. Roswell Funeral Home has been entrusted with the arrangements.