Nora McCalmont

Life is like a journal with clean, crisp pages and one can choose to fill their pages with whatever they value most. Nora McCalmont filled her pages with kindness, generosity, and love while creating a beautiful history to be cherished by so many who loved her. She was a dedicated homemaker who considered it pure joy to care for her home and family each day. Nora lived an active lifestyle and put her heart and soul into whatever she was doing whether it was in her home, in her gardens, or within her community. Nora treasured the family she shared with the love of her life for over 55 years, providing a beautiful example of what marriage is truly intended to be.

The twenties are an exciting period in British history just as they are in American history. It was during this time that a British Egyptologist discovered the sarcophagus of King Tut, the British-Russian trade agreement was signed, and Stanley Baldwin became the Prime Minister of England. It was during this vibrant time that Norman and Laura (Williams) Earl welcomed the birth of their daughter, Nora Gertrude, on September 30, 1924. Nora was born in Teddington, England, located in southwest London on the north bank of the River Thames, and was joined in her family by her brother Leslie. Nora experienced an enjoyable childhood, attending local schools and at times, working as a conductress on the bus. As WWII closed in around them, Nora’s parents feared for her life and sent her north to live with relatives for a time. When it was safer, Nora returned and started working for the bus company.

One fateful night, a United States soldier fell asleep in the back of the bus. His name was Jake McCalmont and Nora offered to walk him back to the barracks. From there a love story blossomed, and the couple married in England in 1945. After Jake’s time in the service was fulfilled, Nora moved with him to the states where they settled in his hometown of Grand Rapids, Michigan. They lived with his parents on Richmond Street and began building a home of their own right across the street. Nora even took part in the building, helping with the bricks and blocks. Eventually, they settled into their new home and this was where Nora lived for nearly the rest of her life.

Some time later, Nora and Jake were blessed with twins Joan and Jannett. Just 16 months later, daughter Jean was born and completed their family. For a time Nora worked at a grocery store nearby and also as a shoe clerk at Wurzburg’s Department Store, but she was primarily a busy homemaker. Caring for her girls and her home certainly kept Nora busy through the years. She enjoyed sewing and made the girls some of their clothes. She was a meticulous housekeeper whose home was always spotless – even the shelves in her refrigerator were covered with a towel in order to keep them clean. Nora also saw to it that her girls had chores on Saturday mornings, establishing them as a vital part of life in the McCalmont home. She was routine with her work including laundry on Mondays and ironing on Tuesdays. The family did get away for some fun at times, often taking short trips to the Mackinac Bridge. They later spent a week during the summer at Bills Lake, but she never really relaxed there as there was always work to do inside the house.

Just as her home was beautiful on the inside, Nora’s gardens were magnificent on the outside. She grew both vegetables and flowers and spent hours outside tending to them. Nora was also a pretty good cook, but was most known for her baking. She loved to bake although there were a few problems in translating recipes from England such as the way that "biscuits" are actually cookies in America. English treats were Nora’s specialty including trifles, jams, tarts, macaroons, and Yorkshire pudding.

There were so many things that made Nora such a unique woman who was so dearly loved. She enjoyed her evening cocktail, often a Tullamore Dew or perhaps a glass of wine with dinner. During other times of the day she drank Red Rose Tea. Nora was active with the British War Brides in Grand Rapids, even serving as the president for a time. Every year her group decorated the English Christmas tree at the art museum. Nora hated to throw anything away, collected antiques, was very frugal, and always paid cash for things. She faithfully wrote in her diary every day and could use it to look up any event whether big or small. Nora was very personable and friendly and although she was not very outgoing, she would join in on a conversation if it was a topic she was familiar with.

Later in life Nora experienced both peaks and valleys along her journey. Once their children moved out of the house, she and Jake became more socially active. They became quite involved in coin collecting and belonged to clubs both in Grand Rapids and Muskegon. Nora was thrilled to become a grandmother and always looked forward to visits with her children and grandchildren. They did some traveling, although most of their vacations were there 14 trips back to England to visit family and friends. Nora took particular interest in living an active lifestyle and was a member at the local YMCA. She faithfully swam laps and walked, made several friends there, and even enjoyed her tea there! Nora loved to see her family gathered together and always hosted Christmas at her house. She was deeply saddened with the death of her husband in 2001 and drew strength from her family during the days following his death. Nora and her girls always shared special times each year on the anniversary of Jake’s death.

Nora McCalmont was a truly extraordinary woman whose life exemplified what it means to be a wife and mother. She was always organized whether in the house, the garden, or in orchestrating events. Nora will be forever treasured for her English sweets, the blankets she crocheted for her grandchildren, and for her Red Rose tea, but it will be her kind and gentle ways that will be her lasting legacy.

Nora G. McCalmont died on July 2, 2010. Nora is survived by her daughters, Jannett (Les) Dewey, Joan (John) Newberry, Jean (Ed) Futymoski; grandchildren Geoffrey (Debra) Dewey, Kevin (Tami) Dewey, Bryan (Heather) Dewey, Michael Dewey and fiancée Christy, Lesley (Shawn) Reed, Lisa (Rob) Tompkins, Wendy (Scott) Pio, Laura (Craig) Johnson; 22 great-grandchildren; sister-in-law Jean Earl, her special aunt, Vera Trotter; as well as many other friends and family. Nora was preceded in death by her husband, Jake, and by her brother, Leslie Earl. A memorial service to celebrate her life will be held on July 13 at 2 p.m. at Heritage Life Story Funeral Homes – Van’t Hof – Grand Rapids, MI, 851 Leonard NW where friends may visit with her family from 1 p.m. until the time of the service. Please visit www.lifestorynet.com where you can leave a memory or make a memorial contribution to Borgess Hospice (348 N. Burdick, Kalamazoo MI 49007) or the American Cancer Society.