Graham, Norma Jean
Norma Jean Black Graham, 88, went to be with the Lord on October 24, 2022. Born in 1934 in Crystal, WV, Norma attended McComas High School where she met Jack Graham, her future husband of 60 years.
After graduation, she and Jack moved to Christiansburg in 1952, where they started a family that would include four children. Norma wanted to fulfill her dream of going to college and becoming a teacher. She graduated Radford University with a bachelor’s degree in Education in 1970 and began teaching First through Fifth grade at Christiansburg Elementary and eventually Sixth grade English at Christiansburg Middle School. She spent a year also teaching in the Gifted and Talented Program. Norma also went on to earn a master’s degree in education from Virginia Tech – all while teaching and raising four children. Norma taught for 16 years in the Montgomery County Public Schools before retiring in 1986. She took great pride in educating her students and keeping in touch with many of them decades after being in her classroom.
After retiring, Norma and Jack purchased a home in Shallotte, NC, where they spent many years enjoying numerous family vacations at the beach with their children and many grandchildren. Throughout her life, she shared her passion for travel with Jack, taking many vacations and visiting places such as Germany, Austria, Egypt, Canada, and Bermuda. Norma was a proud patron of the Montgomery County Museum for Art and History in Christiansburg. She and Jack even found time to take flying lessons at the Virginia Tech Airport. In addition to these many things, Norma was also an avid gardener, loved cooking, sewing, knitting, and crocheting amongst many hobbies. Norma was a member of St. Paul’s Methodist Church.
She is survived by her sister, Judy Grose, brothers Wayne and David Black, brother-in-law James (Dawn) Graham and special aunt Mitzi East – all of West Virginia; children: Becky Graham Wirt, Joel Graham, Elaine (Bill) Campbell, Tracy (Melissa) Graham; grandchildren: Joshua Wirt, Ben Campbell, Jordan Campbell, Caleb (Tasha) Graham, Camron (Callie) Graham, Pallah Graham; great-grandchildren: Landon Helman and Chloe Graham along with several nieces and nephews. Norma was preceded in death by her husband of 60 years, Jack; granddaughter Lesley Wirt; son-in-law Carl Wirt; and brother Ted Black.
The family wishes to express their heartfelt gratitude to the entire staff of the Radford Health and Rehab Center for the special care and kindness they have given Norma and to all of our family. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Montgomery County Museum of Art and History; 4 East Main St. Christiansburg, VA 24073 540-382-5644 https://montgomerymuseum.org. A private celebration of life will be held at Roselawn Memorial Gardens, Mausoleum followed by interment.