Edwina "Edie" M. Norton

Edwina May Simi Norton, 88, of Bellingham, Washington, died peacefully of natural causes on March 5, 2024 at her home, among family and friends. She was born on July 31, 1935 in Kent, Ohio, the youngest of three daughters of Viola Grady Simi and Hendrick Edwin (Ed) Simi. She spent most of her childhood with her family in Bellevue, Washington, where she rode horses, became a beauty queen, and belonged to the high school cheerleading squad. She attended college at Washington State University, and then the University of Washington, earning B.A. and M.A. degrees in English literature. Upon moving to Santa Clara, California in the early 1960s, she taught English literature at the high school and college levels while juggling family life, before embarking on a long second career in organizational development. After 40 years in California, during which she raised two sons and became a grandmother, she retired and returned to Washington State to live in Bellingham for two more decades.

Among her many interests and pursuits, she was a writer, poet, painter, potter, musician, peace activist, gardener, swimmer, equestrienne, seamstress, and practitioner of yoga. She became interested in therapeutic massage training, and became a licensed therapist in California and Washington, where she often treated hospice patients. Most significantly, she practiced Soto Zen Buddhism for over 50 years in California, Japan, and Washington State, and in 2020 published a memoir about her practice, ``Autumn Light: My Fifty Years in Zen”. She became an ordained priest in Bellingham, and supported new and continuing lay practice students at Bellingham’s Red Cedar Zen Community.

Edie was a caring friend and sister, and devoted and loving mother and grandmother. She outlived her parents and her two sisters Nona Jahsman and Eleanor Tesluk, and is survived by her two children: Alec Kercheval (Lilian Garcia-Roig), a son with her first husband Basyl Kercheval, and Dan Norton (Melissa), a son with her second husband David Norton. She is also survived by four beloved grandchildren (Matthew Norton, Dan Norton, Claire Kercheval-Roig, and Olivia Kercheval-Roig), 11 nieces and nephews, and many friends.

Edie was sharp and retained her sense of humor to the last. She was closely involved in planning for the end, including the planning of her own memorial service. According to her wishes, family and friends are invited to attend a Zen memorial service hosted by the Red Cedar Zen Community in Bellingham. The service is scheduled for Saturday, March 30, 2024 at 3:00pm, at the Bellingham Unitarian Fellowship, 1207 Ellsworth St, Bellingham, WA 98225. A reception will follow.