Norma Watson Laughner

Norma Watson Laughner, 95, of Slippery Rock, passed away Saturday November 5, 2022 at Concordia at the Orchard in Butler.  She is survived by her daughter, Wendy Honey, her son, James Laughner, Robert Burns and her four grandchildren: Emily, Max, Eleanor and Sam.

Norma Watson Laughner was born Norma Audra Watson on November 17, 1926 to Florence and Grover Watson of Slippery Rock, PA.  She grew up in the family home on Elm Street with brothers Tom, Robert (Pete), and John and sister Louise.  She fondly remembered her sister Ruth who died in childhood. The family ran a store on Main Street across from the campus of Slippery Rock State Teachers College. Norma was an excellent student who enjoyed outings to Slippery Rock Creek Park and was very popular in school.  She happily recalled when veterans flooded the campus after WWII and she met Carl Laughner, her future husband. They married in 1947 and started their family in the Pittsburgh area where daughter Wendy and son James were born.

After the family moved to Slippery Rock, Norma and Carl began their shared life of service to school, community and church.  Norma sang in the United Methodist Church adult choir, started and directed the children’s choir, and sang memorable duets with her partner Ellen Gallagher. She supervised the Sunday School and the youth group during the famous “Hawke’s Hoagie” years and the trip to Washington DC.  She was the church representative to many Methodist conferences, and she was personally invited to join (and integrate) the district gospel choir, which she enjoyed immensely. She was in the King’s Daughters and the United Methodist Women, helping with innumerable dinners for various town groups, clubs, and campus sororities.

Norma taught speech for many years at SRU.  She served on various committees and performed special work with hard-of-hearing students and those with speech difficulties.  She served longest on the Town-and-Gown committee, a perfect fit.  She and Carl were very active in the Alumni Association, and Norma continued to be active for the rest of her life.

Her town roles included everything from Den Mother to charity fund-raiser.  When she walked onto the stage of a “Red Stocking Revue” fund-raiser, folded her hands and sang to the townspeople, those who had never heard her sing in church talked about it for days.  She even became a short-time political activist, when she supported Carl and an invincible school board slate in response to a “gut-the-school-budget” movement (they all won and the school district thrived).

Norma loved traveling, and retirement years gave her and Carl many opportunities.  When their health began to decline, they moved to Concordia but still traveled when they could.  After Carl died, Norma continued to be active at “The Haven.”  She painted, taught journaling and poetry, and found her companion for the rest of her life, Robert Burns.  She paired some of her poems with his photographs of the Haven and also wrote an anthem to Concordia.

Norma’s health declined, but she could get around her new building to see friends, talk and participate in conversations until she failed in a few days and passed away on November 5.  In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Carl and Norma Watson Laughner Scholarship at rockalumni.com/scholarshipdonate.html.