Kay Norton

NORTON, Kay S.

Kay Short Norton, aka "String Along," beloved wife, mother, sister, grandmother, great-grandmother, aunt, and friend, sadly passed away at 86 years of age Sunday, October 6, 2024. Kay was born in Clayton, GA, where she met and married her high school sweetheart, Ronald Edward Norton (Ed). They moved to Atlanta in 1957 and started a family which grew to five children. Kay loved all aspects of being a mother. She also enjoyed playing tennis through the Atlanta Lawn Tennis Association (ALTA). She began as a C5 and progressed to A4 in singles, played mixed doubles and consistently won the Norton Annual intra-family tennis competition. Kay pursued clowning and attended Clown College in Nashville, TN. She chose the clown's name "String Along" because she always carried and gave away strings used to perform tricks. She entertained thousands, participating in the Atlanta Macy's Day Parade, performing at Scottish Rite Children's Hospital, Atlanta VA Medical Center as well as church gatherings, birthday parties, or any time a laugh or smile was needed. Kay and Ed were members of the Alpharetta Methodist Church. Kay was active in the church through her work with the Blanket Ministry, Meals on Wheels, 54 & More, Sheep Feeders (Wednesday Night Supper), Youth Group and Adult Mission Trips. For several years, she and Ed played Mrs. Claus and Santa for the city of Alpharetta, delighting multiple children and adults. She enjoyed gardening and completed the Master Gardner Program with the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension. She frequently shared gardening information with friends and family and believed we should leave the earth better than we found it. Kay was also an avid reader who volunteered time and donated books to the Friends of the Alpharetta Library (FOTAL). Of all these accomplishments, Kay is most proud of raising five loving children. Kay will be dearly missed by her two daughters, Karon Brown (Robert), Karla Bright (Arthur); sons, Edward Roderick Norton (Cydney Jones), Jack Short Norton (Clifton Askew); grandchildren, Kendall Younger (Luke), Blake Bright (Kim), Barak Bright, Brittany Fagan (Brian), Jessica Norton, Edward Askew-Norton, William Askew-Norton; and eight great-grandchildren. Kay was preceded in death by her husband, Ronald Edward Norton; her son, William Vinson Worley Norton; and grandson, Benjamin Edward Norton. Having survived polio as a child, in 2012 Kay began experiencing symptoms of post-polio syndrome, severely limiting her mobility, which manifested into other physical complications. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial contributions to Agape Hospice Care.