Yolanda Remo Tolentino Norton

Yolanda Remo Tolentino Norton July 10, 1940 – September 4, 2025
Yolanda Norton, 85, passed away peacefully on September 4, 2025, while praying the powerful "Divine Mercy Chaplet" with her son at Gruene Senior Living memory care facility. She suffered from severe Parkinson's Disease and was preceded in death by her husband of almost 49 years, Jay Norton, who died in January 2018, and her sister, Nelia Sumalabe, who died in December 2021.
Yolanda, who many knew by her nickname "Yoly", was born in Naga City, Philippines, the eldest daughter of Protacio Tolentino and Belen Remo Tolentino. She was born seventeen months before the Japanese invaded the Philippines during World War II, and her earliest memories were of Japanese soldiers who occupied their town, the distinctive engine sound of Japanese "zeros" airplanes flying overhead, and hiding in a cave with townspeople who had evacuated to avoid the fierce fighting between Japanese and American troops in 1945 when American troops returned to liberate the Philippines. She spent much of her youth with her grandmother, Olimpia Hebreo Remo, who lived on a farm approximately two hours from Naga City, before attending Santa Isabel High School, graduating in 1956. She excelled academically and was so talented at piano that the head of her high school Music Department requested she earn her college degree and return as a music teacher. Her academic success in high school, however, led to her acceptance at University of Santo Tomas where she majored in Pre-Medicine and then attended Medical School, graduating in 1964. She was inspired by stories of Dr. Albert Schweitzer helping the poor, and she wanted to pursue missionary work in Africa with the Maryknoll Sisters following Medical School. God had other plans for her, though, and she was accepted into a prestigious training program that allowed her to complete her Pediatrics Internship and Residency in the United States, which is where she ultimately met her husband. She trained and worked in Cleveland, Ohio, from 1964-1965, before moving to Malden, Massachusetts, from 1965-1966. She then moved to Texas where she worked at Baylor University Hospital in Houston and at Driscoll Children's Hospital in Corpus Christi. She was an incredibly caring person, and her fondest memories include the charitable volunteer work of serving and treating the underprivileged children in nearby Robstown. It was at Driscoll Children's Hospital in Corpus Christi where she met and became friends with Dr. Jay Norton in January 1968, who she eventually married in April 1969. Her husband was drafted into the US Army, and they relocated to San Francisco, California, in 1970. While in San Francisco, she was accepted into a newly implemented program that authorized Filipino physicians to serve as US Army Medical Officers. She wore a nice dress at her Officer Commissioning ceremony because she was so petite that all her uniforms had to be custom-made and were not yet ready. She served as a Major in the US Army Medical Corps from 1971 to 1973 before transferring to the Inactive Ready Reserves from 1973 to 1978. She lived in California, Arizona, Korea, and Colorado as an Army wife, and then she and her husband lived in Maine, Alaska, and Hawaii before settling in southern Arizona. They returned to Texas in 2014 to be closer to family and lived in San Antonio before her husband passed away in 2018.
Yolanda was a devout Catholic and a member of Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church in New Braunfels. She was a Third Order Carmelite and dedicated much of her time to prayer and service to others. She loved being involved with the Legion of Mary when she was younger, and she served as President of the Legion of Mary at Saint Andrew's parish in Sierra Vista, Arizona, and at the US Army Garrison Yongsan, South Korea chapel where she helped establish a new Praesidium in 1986. She and her husband later served as Oblates of Saint Benedict and lived 20 years in rural Saint David, Arizona, at the Holy Trinity Monastery where lay people (Oblates) like them were allowed to "pray and work" alongside the Benedictine monks and nuns.
She is survived by her son Kevin and daughter-in-law Janet; granddaughters Amanda, Elise, and Elaina; stepson Jay S. Norton (wife Peggy) and family; and a host of loving relatives and friends.
The family wishes to thank Gruene Senior Living, Hope Hospice, Advanced Home Health Services, and Dr. Ryan Armour for the dedicated and outstanding care they provided, as well as Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church for the outreach ministries that touched her and strengthened her Faith. It truly made a difference in her spiritual well-being and her quality of life.
Viewing is on September 15, 2025, from 5:00-8:00pm at Sunset Memorial Oaks New Braunfels, with the Rosary prayed at 6:00pm. Funeral Mass is on September 16, 2025, at 10:00am at Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church in New Braunfels, followed by interment at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery.