Norma Lee Gleghorn Gavin's Obituary
Norma Lee Gleghorn Gavin passed away on October 8, 2009 at the age of 80.
Beloved wife of Louis M.Gavin to whom she was married for 55 years but started dating at age 16. Norma is the loving mother of Andrew B. Gavin, Daniel D. Gavin and Matthew D. Gavin, grandmother of Benjamin Gavin and Madeline Gavin who reside in Knoxville, Tennessee.
She was born in Lawrence County Pennsylvania on a 250 acre dairy farm owned by her parents Helen Reid Gleghorn and Willis Gleghorn and she is the sister of Elaine Brooks who lives in New Jersey. She was the valedictorian of her high school graduating class and is a graduate of Pennsylvania State University with a BA in Journalism. For a short time she worked for a Denver Colorado newspaper, and later worked as the administrative assistant at the Moriah Synagogue in Highland Park, Illinois and she held a similar position at the Sherime Synagogue in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. And later after when she and her husband Louis retired to Mandeville, she was the assistant to the Headmaster of the Hebrew Day School in Metairie. Her husband Louis’ work with an international financial firm required a number of relocations which included stays in New Castle, Pennsylvania, Youngstown, Ohio, Cleveland, Ohio Detroit, Michigan, Dearborn Michigan, Louisville, Kentucky, Dallas, Texas, Deerfield, Illinois, Chicago, Illinois, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Norma was a community activist. While living in Deerfield, Illinois she was elected for two terms to the Deerfield City Council and was the chief negotiator for the city of Deerfield with the Police Department. She also served as the President of the Illinois State League of Women Voters. She chaired the Deerfield organization called CHILD whose purpose was to help children with learning disabilities. She also led the project to help develop senior housing in Deerfield and was president of the Presbyterian Church Couples Club. She received the Distinguished Service Award for her work on the Illinois Bicentennial Commission. When she and her husband retired to Mandeville, she served on the Board of Directors of the Lakeview Regional Medical Center and on the Board of the Lallie Kemp Medical Center in Independence. She held directorships on the Board of the Youth Service Bureau where she served as an active Court Appointed Special Advocate assisting children living in foster homes, the Mandeville Trail Head, the St. Tammany Parish League of Women as well as a past president. For the League she was an observer at all the St. Tammany Parish Council meetings keeping the Councilpersons on their toes. In addition she was the editor of “The Voter”, a League publication. She was known for her quick and outrages sense of humor. She was an accomplished pianist and vocalist.
Relatives and Friends of the Gavin family are invited to attend the memorial service on Saturday, October 17, 2009 at 10:00am at the Faith Bible Church located at 1148 N. Columbia Street, Covington, 70433.
In lieu of flowers the family would prefer donations to the Upward Community Services, a summer camp for children, located at 1117 N. Columbia Street, Covington, 70433, a 501(c) (3) agency.
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