Jeanne Norris

Jeanne G. Norris, 84, of Nashville Tennessee, passed away Thursday, August 25, 2022.  She was born in Naylor, Georgia on January 3, 1938. Jeanne called Nashville, Tennessee her home for nearly fifty years.  Jeanne worked for the State of Tennessee – Office of Criminal Justice Programs for 25 years.

Jeanne was a bright, creative, kind, and outgoing person.  She valued humor and playfulness in herself and others; her quick wit and sassiness allowed her to make friends everywhere she went; and whomever was in her care or under her wing was always cared for in the way that only Jeanne could do.  She enjoyed traveling, gardening, books, dancing and being active.  She had a creative side which included painting, drawing, and quilting.

After retiring, she taught quilting classes and her group often donated kids’ quilts to Ronald McDonald House Charities.  For those of us lucky enough to have received one of Jeanne's quilted creations, as she loved giving them to her loved ones as an expression of what she couldn't say with words.

Most folks didn’t know that Jeanne was an avid tennis fan, a passion she passed onto her daughter, Merredith.  Though Jeanne couldn't hit the broad side of a barn door, she loved coaching (“shouting at”) professional tennis players on television, like a world champion.

Her appreciation and constant love for Mother Earth, and her philosophy towards its beauty, can be encapsulated as “Nature isn’t a place to visit. It is home.”  Jeanne's soft spot for animals was especially expressed (or most recently expressed) in her relationship with her adored pup Hercules, who she loved pampering and who loved her deeply.

She was survived by, Hercules (her beloved dog), Mark Wiley Smith (son), Merredith Scott Brittain (daughter), Leah Niamh Ovens (adopted granddaughter), Fred E. (brother) & Barbara (sister-in-law) Goolsby, Verdie Bullock (sister), Joe (brother) & Susie (sister-in-law) Bateham.

In lieu of a memorial service, Jeanne’s wishes were to have celebrations of life with various friends and family.  She’d want her legacy to honored by being remembered fondly by those who knew her and/or through a donation to a person’s favorite charitable organization or one of these in her memory.

Jeanne would encourage everyone to consider giving the “Gift of Life” with a blood donation.  In the last year of her life, she received blood transfusions regularly for CMML Leukemia (a rare blood cancer).  Jeanne was appreciative and grateful for the generosity strangers who literally gave her life which allowed her to enjoy time with loved ones.

American Red Cross “Give Blood”

https://www.redcross.org/give-blood.html

Alive Hospice – Nashville TN

https://www.alivehospice.org/get-involved/give/

Sarah Cannon Fighting Cancer Together Fund – Nashville TN

https://sarahcannon.com/about/sarah-cannon-fund.dot

Relapsing Polychrondritis Foundation

https://give.polychondritis.org/give/242230/#!/donation/checkout