James John Norton

James John (Jay) Norton, 82, of Atlanta, Georgia, passed away Thursday, February 1, 2018, following a valiant battle with cancer.
Jay was born December 20, 1935, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to James and Catherine Norton. The family relocated to Stone Mountain when he was eight. He was a 1954 graduate of Decatur High School where he was a member of the marching band, playing the drums. He attended the University of Georgia and remained an avid and frenetic bulldog fan all his life. He was employed by the Wayne Watson Company and Russell Athletic from 1955 until his retirement in 1996.
He greatly enjoyed woodworking, creating baby cradles, wagons, toy boxes, rocking chairs, Adirondack chairs, jewelry boxes and cutting boards.
He was a member of the First Christian Church of Decatur, serving as a deacon, chair of the Property Ministry and ran the sound system for all church services.
He is survived by his wife of 61 years, Peggy Jolly Norton, sons and daughters-in-law Jim and Michelle Norton of Peachtree City, Richard and Rachel Norton of Tucker, grandchildren Andrew, Jessica, Katie and Jay Paul, sister-in-law and brother-in-law Eleanor and David Perkins, nephews David III and Michael Perkins, and many cherished friends.
The family is eternally grateful to the Winship Cancer Institute's Melanoma team, in particular Dr. Ragini Kudchadkar and Nurse Practitioner Necia Maynard, for their love and support over the past three years.
A memorial service will be held on Saturday, February 17, at 2:00pm at the First Christian Church of Decatur, 601 West Ponce de Leon, Decatur, GA.
In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the First Christian Church of Decatur (decaturdisciple.org), or to the Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University, https://winshipcancer.emory.edu/ Click on “Donate” in the upper right hand corner of the page and please designate your gift to the Winship Melanoma & Skin Cancer Fund.