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Memorial Service
Condolences
Virginia, Nancy, Bob, Joy, family and friends. My condolences to all of you. I had the privilege of knowing Dr. Norton and his wonderful family while cleaning the Norton cottage for a couple of years. It was a treat to be able to go there each week and be on the beach with an awesome view. I was often greeted each Sunday by Dr. Norton and Joy when I would get there. Dr. Norton would be all smiles and state when I would get out of my Mercury Grand Marquis, "I thought the Mayor was pulling in", followed with laughter and a hug! Dr. Norton would always take the time to inquire about me, my work, my dogs and my life. And had genuine interest and feedback often with much humor blended in. Joy was just that, A Joy! What a beautiful couple full of smiles always. I miss those days seeing Dr. Norton and being at the cottage and reflect on them often. The family was very generous to me and I thank them for that. I am in awe of all of Dr. Norton's accomplishments throughout a long gifted life, that I was unaware of! I knew he was awesome, but never knew all the wonderful things he had done. Amazing! I pray the family and friends have much peace and many smiles remembering fond memories of a this wonderful man. Dr. Norton will be greatly missed. Much peace and love to all of you.
I was fortunate enough to grow up with our summer cottage next door to "Doc Norton" and his wonderful family. There are so many fond memories of him, his generosity and his easy humor.
Condolences to the family. He was a great man.
Amy Franzese
Dr. Jim brought love, joy, and laughter into the life of my mother, Joy Hoffman, when they began dating 17 years ago. It was a remarkable commitment to make when they married in 2010, when Jim was already 87.
Jim was a people person, always ready to make a new acquaintance, wonderfully interested and engaged with my mother’s family and friends during this “second chapter” of their lives. We will remember Jim’s well-delivered stories, his beautiful tenor singing voice, his dashing figure on the dance floor, his delight behind the wheel of his antique car, Nellie, and his gracious hosting of us during our many stays at his home above Seneca Lake.
May his memory be for a blessing.
As a retired RN who worked at Schuyler Hospital for 48 years and who worked with Dr James Norton for 20 of those years, I have fond memories of him.
In 1969, after I moved to Odessa NY, I wanted to continue my nursing career and was told about Schuyler Hospital in Montour Falls. I knew that it was a small hospital: the First Floor: Operating room/Recovery room, Radiology Dept, Laboratory Dept, Admission/finance dept, The Men's 20 bed unit and the Second Floor: The Women's 20 bed unit, 4 bed Pediatric unit, in addition to the OB/GYN unit. I was a little concerned about the services that were offered at such a small facility. I just completed a tour of Montefiore Medical Ceneter in the Bronx where they had numerous services and patient care units for RNs to work.
I was encouraged to speak to Dr. James J Norton & Dr. William F Tague about the patient care services offered at Schuyler Hospital. The RN who instructed me was a gal who worked at the hospital in the Emergency Room, and she said I would get a good review about the facility from those two doctors. I was told they were in practice together and had an office on Mulberry St. in Montour Falls.
She was right: I first spoke to Dr. James Norton Family Physician/Surgical Partner who took care of the majority of surgical issues, had a family practice, and made many house calls. Dr Norton really enjoyed working in the ER where many surgical cases presented and needed his care. I learned a lot from Dr Norton as we had many surgical issues for him to tackle. He was a great teacher, and I learned a lot about assisting in surgery from inserting chest tubes to simple IV's.
Then I spoke to Dr Wm.Tague as he was the Family Physician/OBGYN partner. I was told that Dr Tague delivered most of the babies in Schuyler County. Dr James Norton covered Dr Wm.Tague on a day off. I was not assigned to the OB Unit, so I did not have an opportunity to work with him in OB.
They filled me in on the good, the bad, and the in-between of working at Schuyler Hospital. I was assigned to work 7-3:30 in the 4-Bed ICU on the first floor and was amazed at how well things flowed at said facility.
Both doctors were on staff at St Joseph's Hospital in Syracuse, NY and had interns who came to live with them in their homes and work with them at Schuyler Hosptial. Their purpose was to show the young men and women that family practice in the rural setting was very rewarding and worth pursuing.
Working at Schuyler was a great adventure for me, and I learned allot for those two doctors. I'm thinking they are probably teaching students and staff up in the heavenly hospital above.
Condolences to his lovely family and I am sure they will have always have memories of him flying off to an emergency at Schuyler Hosptial to take care of the patients who needed him.
Deepest condolences to all friends and family of this remarkable man. Dr. Norton epitomized dedication to community… a true loss for us all.
Virginia, and all of Dr. Norton's family.
Please accept my condolences. He was a wonderful man and physician. He's left a great legacy.
My mother, Barbara Nitche, worked side by side with both Dr. Nortons. She spoke of them often in our home and had nothing but the utmost respect and love for them both. Mom saw it as a honor to work with them both at the hospital. A great loss to the community and for their family. We will never seen their kind again! -Daniel Franklin
I'm sad to hear of Dr. Norton' s passing. I started working at Schuyler Hospital right out of nursing school, and respected his medical knowledge and his care for not only his patients but the staff. He trusted the nurses ' instincts and knowledge when they took care of patients. A
favorite memory is of him coming in on a weekend morning, asking which nurse might be ready for breakfast, " a hungry nurse is not a happy nurse!" He treated us , and discussed the day's work, or current events. When I moved to Texas, he and Marjorie came to visit me on their way to visit relatives or to volunteer somewhere. They were such a special pair. I have never forgotten how they impacted my views and actions in my career. Two great role models for my personal and professional life!! RIP after a life well lived.
The write up and tributes for Dr. Norton are beautiful, true and impressive. What I remember was a dad who, with Marjorie, welcomed their children's friends into their home with equal warmth and humor as if we were their own. What a great family! And I remember riding horses with Ginia and walking a sick horse all night long with her dad and mine alongside to make sure all came out ok. I remember learning to water ski at the North's cottage on Seneca lake. I remember wonderful meals prepared by Marjorie and served around the table to each of us by Dr. Jim. I remember the music room. I remember going to church with the Norton's from time to time and the other way around when Ginia would come to church with me and my family.
So many wonderful memories of a great man, a great family, supportive and generous in so many ways.
My love to the Norton children and grandchildren and extended families and friends. I feel so privileged to have been part of their family growing up.
Peace to all.
Jim Norton cast a giant shadow in these parts. He was instrumental in starting and sustaining so many different organizations that made Schuyler County a happier, healthier, fairer, safer place. But I want to comment on something that went way beyond Schuyler County. More than thirty-five years ago, three giants of Schuyler County-Dr. Jim, Jean Argetsinger and Tony Pulos-would bundle into a car at 6:15 in the morning for a drive to Elmira to make a meeting that started at 7:00 AM. There, every month for the next seven years, they were influential in bringing to life Mark Twain-The Musical, a Broadway scale show that captivated hundreds of thousands of visitors each summer and vastly enriched the quality of life for everyone in our lovely corner of the world. They did it, in perfect anonymity, because they dedicated their lives to helping others. May God bless them.
Dr. Norton always made sure to stop in and visit the "girls" in the CEO's office at Schuyler every time he came by. He was a true gem, and someone who definitely deserved the very full life that he was blessed to live! God speed Dr. Norton!
Truly one of the Good Guys. So blessed to call Doc “Friend”
We were members of the Lions Club with Jim, and I worked closely with him at St. James. His lifelong work ethic, kindess, and wisdom were truly inspirational. My final memory with him is standing at St. James listening to the organ postlude, one of his regular pleasures. We are "between priests" and I was scrambling to learn and do all that was required of me as warden. When the music finished, he thanked the organist, turned to me and said, "You are doing a good job here." I was so honored and heartened by his comment and I have held it in my heart through the toughest of times. He was a deeply spiritual man, and often told me about his grandfather, a clergyman. He was incedibly proud of his family, and we all prayed for his grandson while he was deployed. We miss him greatly, and count ourselves so blessed to have had him in our lives.
Sending admiration and sympathy to his family....what a very special man, truly a community giant!
