Martha Norton Obituary

Martha Jean Bomar Norton
North Augusta - Martha Jean Bomar Norton, 96, of North Augusta, SC, died on November 1st, 2019 at the Augusta University Medical Center, Augusta, Georgia. She was born on April 7, 1923, near Shelbyville, Tennessee, to Eldridge Landon Bomar and Laura Elizabeth Hix Bomar. Jean was the youngest of four sisters. Elizabeth Bomar McCormack, Margaret Bomar McKee, and Marion Ruth Bomar Laughlin, all deceased. She enjoyed their family farm, riding horses in the rolling Middle Tennessee hills, and a large extended family. Jean graduated from the University of Tennessee with a Bachelor of Science in Home Economics and Chemistry. After college, she married William Norton in March of 1941. While living in Arkansas during and after World War II, she worked to begin a school lunch program in Marvell, Arkansas, was a dean of women at Hendrix College, and was a hospital dietician. Jean and Bill moved to Aiken, SC in 1952 where they lived for over 60 years. She retired from teaching chemistry, home economics, and special education in the Aiken public schools. After retirement, Jean and Bill traveled throughout the United States, Canada, and Mexico, but she always favored the mountains of East Tennessee. Jean was a loving and cherished daughter, sister, wife, mother, aunt, and grandmother. She was a friend to her students, often bringing her special education students into her home. After 73 years of marriage, Bill died in April, 2018. Surviving are daughters, Laura Jean Norton of North Augusta, and Margaret Gail Norton Zeigler of Chapin. Also surviving are grandchildren William Stephen Norton of Mt. Pleasant, Benjamin Joseph Zeigler of Denver, Colorado and Rebecca Jean Zeigler of Chapin, and numerous nieces and nephews. Jean was an active member of the Shelbyville Presbyterian Church and the Aiken First Presbyterian Church. Funeral services for both Bill and Jean were held at the Marvell United Methodist Church, Marvell, Arkansas. They are buried in the Eventide Cemetery in Marvell. Visit www.HatcherFuneralHome.com to share memories and leave a message of condolence for the family.