Norma Buckley Erwin

Norma Erwin (Buckley), devoted wife of the late Bill Erwin, passed away on Wednesday, Mar. 28, 2018, in Ohio after a brief illness and a longer battle with Alzheimer's disease. She was 81. Her life was celebrated in a private service at All Saints Mausoleum in Metairie Cemetery on Saturday, April 14. Norma was born in Winchester, Mass., in 1937 to Esta and Thomas Buckley. She graduated from Boston University with a degree in public relations. She married soon after; they relocated to Hawaii where she gave birth to a son and her first daughter. After her husband retired from the Navy and became employed with Delta Airlines in 1965, they moved to Metairie where she soon gave birth to a second daughter. While she always relished being a New Englander, Norma adored New Orleans as her second home. In addition to attending numerous area festivals with Bill over the years, she loved Mardi Gras. She was a long-time member of The Better Half, the group of spouses affiliated with Pete Fountain's Half-Fast Walking Club. Every Mardi Gras Day for decades she would sit with her friends in the window seat of Hotel Monteleone's Carousel Bar to people-watch and await Bill's return with Pete. After a few years, the bar staff automatically saved the seat for her-she was happily expected each year. Norma was a Saints fan, regularly betting on the games with her son. She would even light a candle, encircled in salt, during crucial games-particularly when the Saints played the Atlanta Falcons. But she remained a fan of her hometown Patriots and Red Sox, too; she cried when the Sox finally won the World Series. Norma was probably happiest reading, whether it was books, the latest Time magazine, a medical journal newsletter or her financial updates. She was a voracious reader. She also loved the friendly competitiveness of bridge, tennis and bowling. Her primary occupation was a homemaker and wife, but she assisted with the U.S. Census and was also politically active, volunteering with local and national campaigns. Her primary focus, though, was her family. She was a steady, calm and even stoic matriarchal presence. This steadiness also extended to her friendships. She was loved by all who met her and never spoke an ill word about anyone. Her reputation for sage advice and respect for privacy meant she was confidant to numerous friends-and even friends of her children. It was not unusual for her kids in their teens and 20s to come home and find their friend sitting in conversation with Norma at the kitchen table because they'd come to get advice or just chat. It didn't hurt that she was also known for having a quick wit and a delightful, infectious laugh. Even in her memory care residence, the aides and nurses would sit with her to ask advice and hear her humorous insights. She was their favorite resident. Norma was preceded in death by her parents, her brother Tommy, her husband in 2016, and too many of her friends. She leaves behind her sister, Brenda Delaney (George); three beloved children-David Erwin, Karen Rodman (Tedd) and Christine Brock (fiancé Drew); three grandchildren-Aphra Kingsley (Justin), and Jack and Lindsey Rodman; and a great grandchild on the way. The family asks that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Alzheimer's Association in memoriam. To view and sign the guest book, visit www.lakelawnmetairie.com.