Levada N. Norton

Levada Nolen Norton achieved her eternal rest after a valiant struggle with Acute Myeloid Leukemia. She leaves a legacy of faith, hope and love of family, friends and her church. We find comfort in the assurance that she now rests peacefully in the embrace of her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. She was preceded in death by her parents Robert Nolen Sr. (1892-1981) and Effie Juanita Mardis Nolen (1896-1938); husband George Barry Norton (1929-2014); brother, Robert Nolen Jr. (1917-1941); sister Ola Mae Meade (1920-2003); sister, Cherokee Titus (1922-2004); brother Mordica Mike “Bootney” Nolen (1925-2005); sister Mable Julius Weidenback, (1932-2017) and half-brother, W.A. “Gus” Simmons (1911-1990). Levada was born in Tuscaloosa, Alabama and graduated from Tuscaloosa High School and the Druid City Hospital School of Nursing and attended the University of Alabama. During her working life, Levada held a variety of nursing positions at area hospitals, nursing homes, Pullman Standard Corporation and the Jefferson County Health Department. In 1956, she married Barry Norton after a brief, whirlwind romance of just nine weeks. They shared more than 58 years together until his passing from Alzheimer’s disease in 2014. Throughout their marriage she was an enthusiastic supporter of his high school football and basketball coaching career and during his calling as founding headmaster of Bessemer Academy. She was a loving and dedicated caregiver to him throughout his long goodbye. They often joked that if a marriage can survive through the building of a house, it is true love. Together, they built five houses. Her greatest joy was her family and hosting parties and get togethers for in-laws and “out-laws” at practically every holiday in those homes. In their retirement years, the couple camp-traveled throughout the U.S. and Canada with months long excursions to Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, through the Yukon Territory and along the Alaska Highway. They also traveled to Italy, Germany, Slovenia and Ireland. Levada is survived by her daughters, Barri Ann Norton Pratt (Ted); Jenny Norton Greer (Jeff); and grandchild Hannah Olivia Pratt Free (Daniel). She is also survived by her dear sister, Helen Virginia Street and numerous nieces and nephews. The family offers special appreciation to caregivers Beth Hosmer, Connie Cutrer and Kara Cole of Hosmer Home Care Ministry; ExpectCare Hospice; and Dr. Pankit Vachhani, professor and Associate Scientist of Experimental Therapeutics at UAB and the UAB Oncology nurses and staff. A celebration of Levada’s life will be held Saturday, March 30, at 2 p.m. at Shepherd of the Valley Presbyterian Church, 5081 Eastern Valley Road, McCalla. Inurnment will be later at the Alabama National Cemetery in Montevallo, Alabama. Memorials may be made to Shepherd of the Valley Presbyterian Church, 5081 Eastern Valley Road, McCalla, AL, 35111 and Hosmer Home Care Ministry, 9915 Harmon Road, Adger, AL, 35006; and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Levada N. Norton

September 5, 1934 - March 23, 2024