Obituary of Norma S. Willard

Norma S. Willard, 93, of the Peck Settlement Road in Jamestown, passed away Friday, March 29, 2019 at Heritage Green Rehab & Skilled Nursing. The long-awaited only child of Harry and Katie Anderson was born December 21, 1925 at her aunt's house in Moline, Illinois. Her happy childhood came to an abrupt end seven years later when her mother and grandmother were killed by a drunk driver. In spite of a complicated upbringing, Norma was valedictorian of her high school class. She achieved a BS in chemistry at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. While in undergraduate school, she married Joe R. Willard. Dr. and Mrs. Willard raised five children at their white house with a red roof south of Middleport, NY. Their youngest son spent his teen years without his dad, who died in 1977. Mrs. Willard (known as Grandmother Nature) was a guiding light in the lives of many young people. She was an elder in the Presbyterian church, active in Girl and Boy Scouts, Audubon Society, and many other organizations involving children and the natural world. She is survived by her children: Catherine Willard, Joe (Ellen) Willard, Nancy (Kenneth) Davis, Tim (Susan Lindke) Willard and Mark (Deborah) Willard; nine grandchildren: Joe, Benjamin (Jocelyn), Evan (Samantha), and Jesse Davis, Brenden Eshelman, Anna (Erich) Wiegner, and Emily, Miles and Hanna Willard; as well as three great-grandchildren, Adrianna, Sophia and Luke. A Memorial Service will be held at 2 p.m. Thursday, April 11th in Bellinger Chapel of First Presbyterian Church, with the Rev. Robert J. Hagel officiating. Friends will be received following the service on April 11th in fellowship hall of the church. Memorials may be made to First Presbyterian Church of Jamestown, Jamestown Audubon Community Nature Center, Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy or the Union of Concerned Scientists.