Norma Kenrick Loope Obituary

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Norma Ruth Kenrick Loope passed away in peace on May 11, 2024. Norma was the middle daughter of Leslie Jay Kenrick and Doris Henrietta Roberts, born November 29, 1932, in Liverpool, NY. With her sisters, Patricia Kenrick (Frost) and Evelyn Kenrick (Bernstein), she grew up as an active member of the community, schools, and church, learning values she would practice her whole life. She was a member of the Girl Scouts, earning an award for her knowledge of history (a life-long interest), belonged to the First Methodist Church, and participated in the young women's Triangle in the Masonic Lodge. Norma loved to play the piano and sing along with her family, as well as playing card games in which she was a formidable opponent.

Norma's first job was at Merchant's Bank in Syracuse, doing bookkeeping, following in her fathers's footsteps, as he worked at the First Trust Bank across the street, and later was the bank manager at First Trust in Liverpool.

Norma graduated from Liverpool High School in 1952, and went on to attend Cortland State Teacher's College, now SUNY Cortland. There she was a member of the Arethusa sorority and completed two years at the college.

While attending Cortland State, she met a handsome guy with thick wavy hair at the local drugstore lunch counter who was friends with her best friend, Betty Edwards Timpano. His name was Richard Nayland Loope and he took classes at Cortland State as well. They hit it off, going on picnics and square dancing. They married in 1954 in Liverpool, NY, after Dick was drafted into the army and assigned first in New Jersey at Fort Dix, and then later in Georgia at Fort Benning. Norma followed along to Georgia, taking another job as a bookkeeper.

Over the years, Norma and Dick had five children, frequently called the "Live Five" for their rambunctious energy. Daughter Cynthia Gene Loope (Hupper) arrived first in 1956, and four sons followed, Steven Michael in 1957, Robert Townsend in 1959, David Alen in 1961 and Gary Martin in 1963. Norma was a dedicated stay-at-home mom, volunteering at schools as room mother, teaching and babysitting at the church, helping sell Girl Scout cookies, and being a Cub Scout den mother for many years. Norma always made holidays and birthdays special and hosted many a Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner!

In Cortland, Norma was very active in the First Baptist Church, Dick's family's church. She worked on many mother/daughter banquets over the years, encouraged her daughter to sing in the choir with her father and grandfather, and spent a lot of time in the Sunday school with the kids. The family lived in Cortland until 1968, when they moved to Minoa, a suburb of Syracuse NY, when Dick went to work for Sanford Fire Apparatus designing fire trucks.

In Minoa, Norma was active in the First Methodist Church. As was her passion, Norma created wonderful ceremonies and services as part of a women's circle there and continued her bookkeeping work for the church, too. In the early 1970's, she learned to drive in a Pontiac Bonneville—Imagine parallel parking that beast! A year later she would teach her daughter to drive, too.

Later, when the family moved to Elmira for a few years, Norma took up a position helping the local OAR Neighborhood Justice Project, lending her expertise, but also her loving, caring support to women who needed a helping hand. Norma provided a home not only for her children, but for her mother-in-law, Rachel Townsend Loope for many years until she needed to move to a nursing home with Alzheimer's.

When Dick was transferred to Greensboro NC by Volvo in 1985, the family moved again, to find their permanent home. They couple joined Lee's Chapel United Methodist Church, where Norma was instrumental in establishing women's circles and frequently read scriptures or prepared presentations for circle meetings and holiday gatherings. She was a mainstay of the women's groups, while Dick sang in the choir.

Norma took a bookkeeping job with Family and Children's Services of Greater Greensboro that she would hold until she retired, making many friends and helping lots of women get back on their feet.

In her later years, Norma travelled with her sister Evelyn to the NC shore, to see her sister Patricia in Albuquerque, NM, and to her daughter's homes in the Boston, MA area and then in San Diego, CA. She was always happy to return to Central NY to see friends and family, as she considered Liverpool her home.

The couple moved to their Tower Road townhouse in Greensboro in the late 1980's. Dick was diagnosed with cancer in 1990, and then later passed away in 1991. Norma continued to live most of the rest of her life there, with one or more of her sons keeping her company over the years. Norma nursed her Steven through cancer before he passed away in 2013. She drove Robert to his job in Friendly Center at Belk's. In 2020 she developed dementia and moved to Brighton Gardens in Greensboro (now Terra Bella), where she lived until her last 6 months at Brookdale Lawndale Memory Care.

Norma loved exploring genealogy, working with her daughter to research a family tree that went back to many Revolutionary War soldiers and passengers on the Mayflower. She loved connecting her family to centuries of history and was a member of the Framingham, MA DAR Chapter for many years. She also made beautiful photo scrapbooks for each member of the family. She loved cats, lilacs, popcorn, Macintosh apples, Reuben sandwiches, picnics, car rides in the station wagon with everyone singing silly songs, the Kentucky Derby, Andy Williams records, and Fred Astaire movies; and most especially, a hot cup of tea.

Norma leaves behind her daughter, Cynthia Gene Loope Hupper (San Diego, CA) and three surviving sons: Robert (Greensboro), David and daughter-in-law, Lori (Minoa NY), and Gary (East Syracuse). Also surviving are her 6 grandchildren, Kenneth P. Loope (Minoa, NY), Jeffrey A. Loope and his wife Stephanie Baker-Loope (Bridgeport, NY), Cody A. Loope (Minoa, NY), Matthew Brian Hupper (El Cajon, CA), Thera Carryn Loope (Charleston, SC), and Gary M. Loope Jr. (E. Syracuse, NY) and two great-grandchildren, Lavitz, and Phinneas Loope (Bridgeport, NY). She leaves her sister Evelyn Lois Kenrick Bernstein of Slingerlands, NY. Four nieces and nephews, and their spouses and children also survive Norma: Jeffrey (Sharon) Frost (Wilton, CT), Sharon Frost (Ray) Bussiere, Kay (Bruce) Boettcher (Rensselaer, NY) and Lewis (Jill) Bernstein (Wilmington, NC), and their children and grandchildren; and a cousin, Retired Lt. Col. T. James Blake, and his wife Maryalice (Milwaukee, WI).

The family would like to thank Terra Bella (formerly Brighton Gardens), Authoracare Hospice, and Brookdale Lawndale Park memory care unit for their understanding and loving care. Memorial donations may be made to Lee's Chapel United Methodist Church, Authoracare Hospice, or a charity of your choice.

A Celebration of Life Service will be held at Lee's Chapel United Methodist Church on Saturday, June 8, 2024 at 2 p.m. The church is located at 2303 Lee's Chapel Rd, Greensboro, NC 27405.