Gloria Jean (Peak) Norton

Gloria Jean Peak Norton, 79, of Rome, GA was called Home in the early morning hours of November 14th, 2025 with her loving husband, youngest daughter, and son-in-law by her side at Advent Health Hospital.

Jean was born on January 14, 1946 in Albany, GA to Joy Leona Bethea and Harold Welton Peak. The second oldest of six children, Jean grew up working hard to keep their busy home afloat. She helped pick cotton and weed the garden, and her mother taught her to help with the cooking and the ironing. She was often asked to be responsible for her siblings, which she did with a strong will and a little bit of humor. Jean knew how to work hard, but she always took time to enjoy life with her close friends. She loved roller skating or swimming in the creeks and lakes nearby. Working at a local drug store after school paid off when she saved enough money to attend Auburn University where she studied homemaking and met her life-time partner and friend of 58 years, Buddie Norton.

Jean dedicated her life to being a faithful wife and mother to her three children, who she loved with a sacrificial love. The rewards she felt as a mother were innumerable. Home was always a place of warmth with her touches all over the house and delicious meals from the garden she and Buddie tended together. Jean’s favorite saying, as a testimony to her favorite hobby and love of Scripture was ‘To cultivate a garden is to walk with God.’ She enjoyed finding empty spaces around the yard and filling them with hydrangeas, daffodils, and one of her favorites—lush, green ferns. She loved the evening hours to pause and take walks down Whisenhunt Road in Chelsea, AL, or around the lake in their front yard after a summer supper. Jean always enjoyed simple pleasures like a cool breeze, a cold sweet tea, or a front porch swing. She was a very peace-filled lady  

With Jean, you felt completely seen and adored. Whether you were a stranger in the grocery store or one of her beloved grandchildren, she always looked for ways to meet needs and nurture whoever she met. To know her was to be loved. But she had a purpose, which was to draw all those she met or loved to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. Her greatest joy was to know that her children put Christ first and treat everyone with kindness and respect. As a grandmother, she spent countless hours reading books, taking little walks, or playing board games. Even with a fractured back, she willingly watched many soccer games, swim meets, track meets, and baseball games. There was nowhere she’d rather be.

Gloria Jean is survived by her husband Buddie Norton, her son Gregory Robert Norton, and her two daughters Lori Elizabeth Worford and Jenny Denise Long. Her grandchildren are Mari Olivia Worford, Natalie Bethea Long, Karis Wilder Long, and Jonathan Avery Long. Her nieces and nephews include Lee, Brenda, Dawn, Tommy, Donny, Johnny, Chris, and Leslie. She has loved several great nephews as well. She is preceded in death by her mother, father, and all five siblings—Nita, Martha, Kay, Jimmy, and Doug. 

Though we will miss her very much, we can all take comfort knowing she is with her loving Savior—whole and free from any pain and sorrow. God has joyfully prepared a place for her, and she is enjoying every single minute. 

Services will be held at Lakeview Baptist Church Rome GA on November 22, 2025 from 12:00 to 1:00.

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