Norma Jean Finnegan Abelar

A Celebration of Life for Norma Jean Finnegan Abelar will be held on Saturday, Sept. 9, in Los Angeles. Norma passed away peacefully at her Santa Monica home on June 8 at the age of 85.Norma is survived by her loving husband of 68 years, David Abelar; her daughter Terri of San Rafael, and son Gary, of Los Angeles; her sisters Bonnie Basso of San Francisco, and Janice Six of Madras, Oregon; four grandchildren: Blaire Janssen of San Ramon; Nicholas Kennedy of Fair Oaks; Mark Abelar of San Diego, and Ryan Abelar, of Madera County; and seven great-grandchildren. Two brothers, Eugene and Alan Six, pre-deceased her, and a third, Bill, passed away weeks after Norma.Norma was born at Stanford Medical Center, the daughter of Alice Six and Carter Finnegan, and she grew up in Mill Valley and Marin County. She met her closest friends foster sisters Gail Frost and Jackie Fontes in Marin, and the three girls became inseparable, and lifelong friends. Their pet raccoon named Ricky was a special focus of the three girls' activities, as was music and dancing.Norma attended Tamalpais High School in Mill Valley, where she was a majorette. One night, she went to see her friend Jackie dance at the Marin Art & Garden Center. There, Norma first met David, an Angeleno on active Air Force duty at the time, stationed at nearby Hamilton Air Force Base after serving in the Korean War. They fell madly in love and were married less than a year later. Norma had the distinction of being the only married woman at her senior prom.The couple moved to west Los Angeles, where Norma became a licensed hairdresser and where she and David welcomed Terri and Gary into their lives. Norma became an avid league bowler and remained one for many years.While raising her family, Norma then began studying at night to become a licensed real estate agent. She helped home buyers and sellers on the West Side and Santa Monica for many decades, eventually becoming president of her local real estate association.All who knew her will treasure the memories of Norma's lifelong kindness and compassion for others, especially those who needed an extra helping hand -- as well as her glowing smile, her pragmatism and street smarts, her remarkable skills in the bowling alley, and her sly sense of humor.For further information on the Celebration of Life, please email info@agingsolutions.com