Obituary of Jessie T. Norris

Jessie Timmons Norris, age 86, died peacefully of complications of pneumonia at A.G. Rhodes of Wesley Woods in Atlanta on May 2, 2009. She had been an active resident at the nursing home for the past 10 years. Born in Hickory, NC on November 12, 1922, Mrs. Norris grew up in Boone and spent most of her life there. In 1939, at age 16, she went to work for the fledgling telephone company in Boone, when the town had a telephone system which operated by hand cranking. She later became a switchboard operator and progressed to chief operator. During those years, she was voted, �The Voice with the Smile� by Boone telephone customers. When Boone went to the dial telephone system, she moved to the local business office as a customer service representative. She retired from Bell Telephone with 30 years of service. She was also, during her work life, a staff member at Appalachian State Teachers College, now Appalachian State University. She was an active member of Boone United Methodist Church during her years in Boone. The daughter of a well-known local ballad singer, Mrs. Norris inherited her mother�s love of music and enjoyed singing her entire life. She will be forever loved, missed and remembered by all for her generous spirit and remarkable character. Mrs. Norris is survived by one daughter, Diane Warman Blanks of Tucker, GA and two grandchildren, Laurin Blanks Johnson of Covington, GA and David Redding Blanks of Boone. She was preceded in death by her second husband, Claude E. Norris; her first husband A. C. Warman; her mother, Laura Brown Timmons; her father Lorin Timmons and her brother, George Fremont Timmons. Graveside services for Mrs. Jessie Timmons Norris will be conducted Wednesday afternoon at 2 o�clock at Mount Lawn Memorial Park & Gardens. The family will receive friends Wednesday prior to the service from 12:30 until 1:30 at Austin & Barnes Funeral Home. The family respectfully requests no food; flowers are accepted or memorials may be made to a charity of the donor�s choice. Online condolences may be made to the Norris family at austinandbarnesfuneralhome.com Austin & Barnes Funeral Home & Crematory is serving the Norris family.