Obituary of M. NORTON

M. Ruth Norton died on Saturday, September 18, at the age of 87. A long time resident and community activist in Salem, Ruth spent the last 10 years of her life in Lake Havasu City, Arizona, living near her sister, Marylou Tassinari.Ruth, who was a veteran of WWII, was the first woman to graduate from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Masters Program for microbiology. In 1950 she was elected to her first term on the Salem School Committee. She served the city in that capacity for 25 years. Ruth was instrumental in building the vocational education program in Salem. In honor of her accomplishments, the high school auditorium was named after her.She was the president of the Salem Business and Professional Women's Club, a member of Massachusetts Board of Collegiate Authority and the Massachusetts State Board of Education, and an associate professor of anatomy at the New England College of Pharmacy.Ruth began work at the Samuel Shattuck Hospital in 1955 and retired 21 years later as the chief of the lab. Besides her sister, Marylou Tassinari, Ruth is survived by many nieces and nephews including Thomas Tassinari, Mark Tassinari, Brian Tassinari, Stephen Tassinari, Dorothy Ferguson, Beverly Norton, Barbara Gill, Michael Norton and Kathy McGowan.The Rosary will be said at Lietz-Fraze Funeral Home on Sunday, October 10 at 7:00 PM with a visitation from 6:00 to 8:00 PM. A memorial mass will be held at Our Lady of the Lake Roman Catholic Church on Monday, October 11 at 11:00 AM.In lieu of flowers, please send donations in memory of Ruth to Hospice of Havasu, PO Box 597, Lake Havasu City, AZ 86405 or the K-12 Foundation, PO Box 2277, Lake Havasu City, AZ 86405.Arrangements were entrusted to Lietz-Fraze Funeral Home & Crematory.