NORTON, CAROL S.

Carol S. Norton, née Safford, passed away on a snowy Sunday evening, December 4, in Portland, Oregon. She was just a few weeks from her eighty-sixth birthday, which falls on Christmas Day. She died, gently, of natural causes, family alongside of her.Carol was born on December 25, 1936, to Raymond and Hildegard Safford in New York City. She lived on Acacia Avenue on Staten Island with her parents and two brothers, Jeff and Tom. After graduating from Tottenville High School, she went on to study at Cazenovia College. After graduation, she worked as a medical secretary in Manhattan.Carol met her husband, Paul Ortman, in Cape May, New Jersey and they wed shortly before Paul began service as an ensign in the Navy, taking the couple to Georgia and California. She bore two sons: Kenneth, born in Chicago. and Erik, born on Long Island. Carol was a keen sportswoman, playing tennis, golf, and bowling well into her seventies. She was also an avid Yankees fan—a photo of Mantle and DiMaggio always adorned her wall.Carol is survived by her brother, Tom, her sons, Kenneth and Erik and her grandchildren, Jackson, Brooke and Harrison. Carol’s wish was to be buried alongside her parents at the Church of Saint Andrew on Staten Island, where she’ll be laid to rest this coming summer. Donations may be directed to the Nature Conservancy, which directs the South Cape May Meadows Preserve, one of her favorite spots.