In recent weeks, you may have spotted her anywhere, everywhere. Quietly arranging snow village tables, putting up birthday party décor, delivering home made cookies to the Maintenance Department, sorting envelopes for Employee Appreciation Fund distribution, phoning residents to confirm excursion participation, recruiting volunteers for the Activities Desk – even sorting pictures taken at three years of Family Day celebrations. She has been indispensable as the new Activities Director settled in and received Mary’s supportive help.
Mary Norris says, “I do it because I enjoy it. I enjoy working with people, looking after their best interests.” Maybe that dedication led her to becoming a registered nurse – but that’s getting ahead of the story. Mary was born in Punxsutawney, PA, the town famous for Punxsutawney Phil, who emerges on Ground Hog’s Day each year to squint at the skies and predict the next six weeks’ weather. The youngest of five daughters, Mary was educated in Catholic schools. After graduation she participated in a three-year program at New Kensington (PA) Citizens General Hospital, passed the State Boards as a Registered Nurse and headed west.
A career operating room nurse, Mary’s first position was at the brand new, state of the art Mt. Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles. Several years later she moved to the Van Nuys Community Hospital and, after a break while she married and started a family, she returned to nursing at Westlake Hospital, where she worked for five years before it was closed.
Mary’s husband, Charlie, was a mortgage banker with an office on San Vincente, working with commercial and then residential mortgages. In those days, Mary recalls, an applicant needed a substantial financial profile – and no debts! Working with The Prudential Home Loan Corporation, Charlie was the first person authorized to submit mortgages of $500,000 and became known as “broker to the stars.”
Charlie and Mary had two children, Vincent and Vanessa, and adopted a teen-aged nephew, David. “Retired” from nursing, Mary centered her attention on her family and loved business entertaining. Typical parents of the era, Mary led Vanessa’s Girl Scout troop, while Charlie worked with Vincent’s bowling league and junior baseball league. The Norris family lived in Tarzana from 1957 until 2000, when the couple decided to downsize and move to a town home in Calabasas. There Charlie died in 2004.
Living in Calabasas was convenient for spending time with Vincent’s family (two sons, now 22 and 20) in Westlake and Vanessa’s (also two sons, 13 and 6) in Huntington Beach until Mary became an early University Village resident on August 31, 2007. While her first love is still her family, UVTO is blessed to be considered Mary’s family, too, and is grateful for the love she showers on us, making her a most Noteworthy Neighbor..