Sister M. Esther (Constance) Norton, 80, a Sister of Mercy for 60 years, died Tuesday, September 9, after a brief illness. A native of East Boston, MA, she was the daughter of William and Ellen (Denning) Norton.
Sister Esther received her B.A. and M.A. degrees in education from Mount Saint Mary College, Hooksett, NH. For 40 years she was a dedicated teacher at Catholic elementary schools in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and California. In New Hampshire, she taught at St Raphael and St. Catherine Schools in Manchester; St. Mary in Claremont; and St. Patrick in Portsmouth. She was a teacher at St. Ann School in Gloucester, Massachusetts for 11 years. In 1966, she went to Pacoima, California, where she taught at Mary Immaculate School. She also taught at Our Lady of Perpetual Help School in Newhall, California before returning to New Hampshire in 1975.
From 1988 until 1994, Sister Esther was a case manager at Elder Services of Merrimack Valley in Lawrence, MA. She then became a paralegal and senior aide, and later assistant to the director, at the Newbury (Mass.) Council on Aging. In June 1998, she received the Senior Aide Community Service Award from Elder Services of Merrimack Valley-Newbury Council on Aging.
From 2000 until her retirement, Sister Esther served as office assistant at Prime Time in Manchester, NH.
Family members include Claire Norton of East Boston, MA.; Sister Denise Bourgeois of Manchester, NH; a niece, Ellen Hattan of TX; a nephew, Jack Griffin of East Boston; and several grandnieces and grandnephews.
Friends may call at the Warde Health Center, 21 Searles Road, Windham, NH, from 4 to 6 PM on Thursday, Sept. 11th. A prayer service will follow in Our Lady of Mercy Chapel, Sisters of Mercy in Windham at 6 PM. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated in Our Lady of Mercy Chapel at 11 AM on Friday, Sept 12th. Burial will be at Saint Joseph Cemetery, Bedford, NH
Memorial donations may be made to the Sisters of Mercy, 21 Searles Road, PO Box 420, Windham, NH 03087-0420.