Mass of Christian burial will be held on at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, June 20, 2019 at St. Mary's Catholic Church. The family will receive friends at the funeral home on Wednesday evening, June 19, 2019 from 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. The rosary will be recited at 7:00 p.m. Memorials may be directed to the St. Mary's Catholic Church Guild or the Pradar-Willi Syndrome Association. A private family burial will be held at a later date, following cremation.

Kay Russell Norton was born May 21, 1936 at home in Farragut, Iowa to Russell Gerald Norton and Edna Lucille (Bright) Norton. Early years were spent around Farragut in the farming community. Kay attended grade school and high school in Farragut, graduating in 1954. That year, he and his parents moved to a 460-acre farm near Riverton, only to move to a 640-acre farm that next year where they not only tended row crops but raised over 700 head of hogs annually and cared for a 150 head cow/calf operation.

In 1955, on a blind date, Kay met Coleen Ann Ketcham. He dated Coleen for the next year and a half, courting her in a red Buick convertible. In 1956, Kay joined St. Mary's Catholic Church in Shenandoah, where he married Coleen on January 8, 1957. To this marriage were born four children. Jeffrey Lynn, Gregory Alan, Brian Russell, and Kristin Ann.
After his marriage, Kay continued farming for a couple more years before moving to Shenandoah. He then worked for the gas department of Iowa Power and Light Company. Kay then started work with the Evening Sentinel, where he spent the next 11 years as hot metal caster, ad makeup, pressman, in the dark room and finally in the advertising department. In January 1971, Kay started with Eaton Corporation as a production supervisor. He managed several areas in his time with Eaton where he retired on July 1, 1999.

Throughout the many years, Kay was active in civic activities. Joining the Jaycees in the late 1960s, he chaired several projects and was Local President of the club for two years, Local State Director, and State Chairman of Youth Activities. He received outstanding Local President-Instate, Outstanding State Director, Outstanding Local President for Region VIII, and because of his extensive involvement in the community, Kay was named to "Outstanding Young Men of America" in 1970. Kay served on the United Fund board, was Cub Master for his sons' Cub Scout Pack, and he served on the Shenandoah Centennial board as special events chair. He was also President of the Shenandoah Historical Society in its early years. In 1972, Kay was elected to the Shenandoah City Council, serving six years. He was elected as Mayor of Shenandoah in 1978, where he served ten years before retiring from office in 1988. He had been a member of Rotary Club and a past member of the Shenandoah Elks. Kay served as President of the Farragut Alumni Association for 3 years. He also served on the Page County Compensation Board, Page County Planning Commission, and as President of the Southwest Iowa Pioneer Association.

Kay was always an avid hunter and loved target shooting. He enjoyed basketball and volleyball with the Cardiac Club and bowled on Eaton's bowling team. Metal detecting and coin collecting were also passions, with his latest endeavor that involved collecting a coin from every country in the world.

Family and faith were paramount to Kay. He was proud of his four children, 15 grandchildren and 6 great-grandchildren. Many holidays were enjoyed when most of the family could come home. Time was often spent hunting, hiking, picnicking, snowmobiling, or simply riding the tractor. Family time meant a lot to him and he made the most of it. Kay was an active member of St. Mary Parish for 63 years and lovingly served his faith community in numerous capacities.

Kay is survived by wife, Coleen; children, Jeff & Debbie Norton, Greg & Karen Norton, Brian & Christi Norton and Kristin & Joseph Dolezal; grandchildren and great-grandchildren, Joel & Alison Norton (Charlotte and Loren), Jordan and Julie Norton (Emma and Aiden), Andrew Norton (Lila), Rachel & Nathan Turk, Collin Norton, Jeremy Norton, Jessica and Evan Hammans, Matthew and Sarah Norton (Elsie), Thomas, Kelsie, Mackenzie and Kaeden Norton, Connor, Alexis, and Nathan Engel.