Greensburg immigrant strived for citizenship
Share this post:
For decades, Margaret M. Norman worked toward one goal — becoming a citizen of the United States.
A native of the Caribbean island of Trinidad, Ms. Norman first tried to immigrate to the U.S. in the 1970s. Her application was ignored. She kept trying, with no success.
Finally, in the early 2000s, she was accepted.
By 2007, she passed her naturalization test and became an American citizen.
She saw citizenship not just as a goal, but an ongoing process that did not end in 2007.
Her son recalled his mother’s words: “Citizenship is a process that takes your whole life.”
Margaret M. Norman, 75, of Greensburg, died Monday, Oct. 14, 2019, at Select Specialty Hospital in Latrobe.
She was born Feb. 6, 1944, in San Fernando, Trinidad. She was part of a large family, and helped raise her many brothers and sisters.
Ms. Norman got her education and spent most of her career working for a safety supply company.
“Opportunities were not very abundant, but they were there, and she tried,” Timothy Norman said.
In her free time, she loved to sew.
“We were probably one of the first people to own a Singer sewing machine,” her son said.
After moving to the United States, she moved several times to be close to her son, first to Indiana, then North Carolina, then Greensburg. While in Indiana, she worked as a nurse’s aide.
She was a devout Catholic, most recently as a member of Seven Dolors Catholic Church in Yukon.
Her son described her as a quiet, strong and confident.
“She takes everything, she takes all of the difficulties, she takes all of the challenges that life has to offer, with as much acceptance as life has to offer,” he said.
She loved to spend time with her two granddaughters, and hoped to serve as an example for other immigrants.
Ms. Norman wanted to be a positive example for other immigrants, her son said.
“All of us are immigrants,” Timothy Norman said. “Your parents, or your parents parents came from somewhere else.”
She is survived by her son, Timothy Norman and wife Rebecca, and grandchildren Elizabeth “Zaza” and Catherine “Kathy” Norman.
A blessing service will be held at 9 a.m. Saturday at Beatty-Rich Funeral Home, Route 136, Madison.
Internment will follow at Seven Dolors Catholic Cemetery in Yukon.
Memorial donations may be made to the American Cancer Society, 510 Pellis Road, Suite 203, Greensburg, PA 15601.