Norma Jean Mitchell's Obituary
Norma Jean Watson, 95 years of age and a resident of C.C. Young Senior Living in Dallas, Texas, passed away on December 4, 2021. Norma was born April 15, 1926 to Leo and Violet Watson in Kansas City, Missouri. She eventually moved with her family to Michigan, where she later worked as a USO dancer and as a music buyer for a major department store, meeting many popular musicians of the 40’s. While in Michigan, she met Sergeant William A. Mitchell, a recruiter for the U.S. Marine Corps. They married in Grand Rapids, Michigan on January 6, 1949 in a Marine Corps ceremony. Norma and William (“Bill”) had two children, Donna Jean Mitchell and William Albert Mitchell Jr.
Norma thoroughly enjoyed travel and seeing new places. She saw her life as the wife of a Marine as an adventure, accompanying him to his stations in California, Newfoundland and Virginia. Norma reveled in this peripatetic lifestyle and easily made new friends along the way. Norma and Bill always enjoyed socializing, and were lifelong enthusiastic dancers, “cutting a rug” with fox trot jitterbug or square dance wherever they were. While in Virginia, she became a successful realtor and helped newly arriving Marines find suitable homes. When Bill joined the corporate world, they moved their family to Dallas, Texas, where Norma took great delight in donning her cowboy boots and hat and taking care of the family horses. Always passionate about art, Norma committed herself to oil painting, and over the years, produced many beautiful landscapes of Texas. When Bill was promoted to a position in Norwalk, Connecticut, Norma took pleasure in entertaining for business and friends, sightseeing in the local environs, and visiting museums in New York. Next, Norma and Bill moved to a lakeside house on Lake Norman, North Carolina, where she took great pleasure dining with her husband on their pontoon boat, noting the beautiful views she wished to paint. Whenever the opportunity arose to travel to new places and meet new people, Norma and Bill took it, visiting Bermuda, the Caribbean, the American West, and Israel. Some years after Bill’s retirement, they moved back to her cherished Dallas, Texas, where she lived until her passing. Norma was defined by her passion for life and experiences, positive thinking, and making the most of every situation. But most of all Norma cherished her beloved family and treasured the time spent with them. As her family grew to include grandchildren, a great-grandson and a loving, extended family, Norma saw each individual as a blessing and cherished each one.
Norma was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Bill. She is survived by her children, Donna Jean Mitchell and William Albert Mitchell Jr. (Denise Marie Sobieski), grandchildren Cristina N. Kenny (John), Sarah A. Riccio and Jonathon M. Black (Stacey), and great-grandson Theodore F. Kenny, and step-grandchildren Ewan M. Kenny, Vivian G. Kenny, Harper J., Kenny, and Emma C. Kenny
Visitation will be held on December 22, 2021, from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM at Restland Funeral Home Abby Chapel in Dallas, Texas, with services to follow on the same day at 2:00 PM
Funeral arrangements for Norma Jean Mitchell have been faithfully entrusted to Restland Funeral Home and Cemetery, which is located at 13005 Greenville Ave., at the intersection of Restland Road, Dallas, Texas 75243, and can be reached at (972) 238-7111.
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