Such a shock. My condolences to the family which has endured the loss of their mom this year. I am so sorry to hear of your passing Lois. God bless you.
Lois Ellen Norman, 61, passed away Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2016, after a five-year hard-fought battle against metastatic breast cancer.
She was born April 3, 1955, to John William and Nancy (nee Walker) Norman. Raised in Grosse Pointe Farms, then moving to Grosse Pointe Shores in 1963, Lois was a unique individual destined to be an entrepreneur from an early age. She started earning money at age 7, creating a “haunted house” and charging neighborhood kids for entry.
After graduating from Grosse Pointe North High School, Lois worked for Ross Roy Advertising, then as a hostess at The London Chop House. She moved to Atlanta where she worked for Turner Broadcasting, reporting directly to Ted Turner. In the mid-1980s, she moved to Charlotte, N.C., and opened the first of many businesses she would own; Sophies, a delicatessen-style restaurant by day and a jazz and blues club by night. She opened Sophies II a few years later in Bradenton, Fla.
Lois married in the late 1980s and had the love of her life, her daughter, Emily Katherine, in 1989, in Charlotte. She then moved to Bradenton, where she owned and operated a gym, The Workout Center in Holmes Beach, as well as a catering company. She moved back to Atlanta and opened an airport shuttle business. After selling the business in 2000, she relocated to Charleston, S.C., where she opened Greater Charleston Shuttle and Tour Co. She also owned and operated a tanning salon in Mt. Pleasant, S.C. In 2003, she moved to Celebration, Fla., where she started an airport shuttle service.
In 2007, she moved to Sarasota, Fla., where she opened Sarasota Shuttle Service, as well as turned her home into a Bed & Breakfast, The Norman Inn, now managed by her daughter.
Lois was a resourceful woman who did not take “no” for an answer.
She is survived by her daughter, Emily Katherine Norman Gurrisi (Jacob) and grandsons, John Walker and Ambrose Beckett; sisters, Juliette Norman McMillan, Marion Daniel Head, Laurie Kahle and Susan Norman; brother, William, and loving nieces and nephews.
She was predeceased by her beloved grandparents and parents; sister, Nancy Jo Norman and brother, John Solomons Norman.
She will be dearly missed and long be remembered for her grit, wit and “can-do” spirit.
A celebration of life ceremony was held in Sarasota.
Mark Fisher
Such a shock. My condolences to the family which has endured the loss of their mom this year. I am so sorry to hear of your passing Lois. God bless you.
Susanne Ramsey (Barnes)
My deepest sympathies and prayers for the Norman family.
Dennis Hopkins
Lois Ellen Norman
Age: 61
She was born April 3, 1955, to John William and Nancy (nee Walker) Norman. Raised in Grosse Pointe Farms, then moving to Grosse Pointe Shores in 1963, Lois was a unique individual destined to be an entrepreneur from an early age. She started earning money at age 7, creating a “haunted house” and charging neighborhood kids for entry.
After graduating from Grosse Pointe North High School, Lois worked for Ross Roy Advertising, then as a hostess at The London Chop House. She moved to Atlanta where she worked for Turner Broadcasting, reporting directly to Ted Turner. In the mid-1980s, she moved to Charlotte, N.C., and opened the first of many businesses she would own; Sophies, a delicatessen-style restaurant by day and a jazz and blues club by night. She opened Sophies II a few years later in Bradenton, Fla.
Lois married in the late 1980s and had the love of her life, her daughter, Emily Katherine, in 1989, in Charlotte. She then moved to Bradenton, where she owned and operated a gym, The Workout Center in Holmes Beach, as well as a catering company. She moved back to Atlanta and opened an airport shuttle business. After selling the business in 2000, she relocated to Charleston, S.C., where she opened Greater Charleston Shuttle and Tour Co. She also owned and operated a tanning salon in Mt. Pleasant, S.C. In 2003, she moved to Celebration, Fla., where she started an airport shuttle service.
In 2007, she moved to Sarasota, Fla., where she opened Sarasota Shuttle Service, as well as turned her home into a Bed & Breakfast, The Norman Inn, now managed by her daughter.
Lois was a resourceful woman who did not take “no” for an answer.
She is survived by her daughter, Emily Katherine Norman Gurrisi (Jacob) and grandsons, John Walker and Ambrose Beckett; sisters, Juliette Norman McMillan, Marion Daniel Head, Laurie Kahle and Susan Norman; brother, William, and loving nieces and nephews.
She was predeceased by her beloved grandparents and parents; sister, Nancy Jo Norman and brother, John Solomons Norman.
She will be dearly missed and long be remembered for her grit, wit and “can-do” spirit.
A celebration of life ceremony was held in Sarasota.