Mrs. Mary Norton, 74, of Albany, Georgia departed this life on Monday, June 16, 2025 at the Willson Hospice House in Albany, Georgia.

Celebration of Life will be held on Monday, June 23, 2025 at 11:00 A.M. in the St. Paul Baptist Church, 44055 GA-62, Leary, GA 39862.

Interment will follow in the church cemetery.

Marrietta Carter Norton died on Monday, June 16, surrounded by family. Born on March 9, 1951, in Leary, GA “Mary,” as Mrs. Norton was known, was the youngest of five children of John and Willie Mae (Thomas) Carter, farmers, who instilled in her a love of family and a commitment to speaking and abiding by the truth.

“Mary and I were cousins, but really more like sisters,” said Barbara Jean Dudley. “Even when she was in Alaska, she never forgot us. She always wanted to make her way back to Leary, to her roots.” A woman of great strength and conviction, Mrs. Norton was proud member of the Class of 1969 at H.T. Singleton High School. In 1996, she returned to college as a working wife and mother and earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Virginia State University. She had a distinguished 24-year career as a contract specialist for the United States Department of Defense, where she worked her way up to the level of GS-12. During that time, she earned numerous awards and was proud to have been able to advance her career and distinguish herself in this way.

Raised in the church, Mary sang in the choir at St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church as a girl. She also grew up to become a respected deaconess there, following in the footsteps of her father, who served as a deacon at St. Paul before her. Having grown up in a close-knit family, Mrs. Norton had a deep and enduring love for her siblings and parents, a devotion that extended to her husband of 44 years, Glennis T. Norton, Jr and their four children, Keith, Tina, Beverly, and Yolanda.

“Ma was fierce, determined and relentlessly loyal,” said her son, Keith Ingram. “Her unwavering love for our father and family drove her to travel from the red clay of Georgia to the permafrost of Alaska. Her love and prayers sustained me through four years of Army combat deployments.”

She leaves behind to mourn her: husband, Glenn T. Norton, Jr; son, Keith (Ayanna) Ingram; daughters, Tina (Tom) Bartell, Beverly (Robbie) Philyaw, and Yolanda Norton; sisters, Daisy Washington and Peggie Carter; brothers, David (Belinda) Carter, Jerry Carter, and Terry (Sherry) Carter; sisters-in-law, Zeta (Charles) Harris, Gwen Gordon, Sharon K. Ward, Brenda (Wayne) Embry, Johnni Carter, Vanessa (Anthony) Brown, Valarie (Dwayne) Settles and brother-in-law Dewayne (Corina) Norton; grandchildren Marcus Bartell, Breanna Bartell, Lauryn Ingram, Vanessa Bartell, Bennett Bartell, and Teegan Philyaw; along with a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, other family and friends.

She was preceded in death by her parents John and Willie Mae Carter; sisters, Eddie Mae Favors and Willie Ruth Carter; brothers, Moses Carter and John Carter, Jr; brothers-in-law Alvin (Belinda) Norton, Clinton Norton, Clemmie Norton, Milton Norton and sister-in-law, Denise Barnes.

Meadows Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements.