Norma Neese

Norma Claire (née Siebert) Neese, 91, of Saranac Lake, NY died Monday February 5, 2018 at Elderwood of Uihlein at Lake Placid. Norma was born in Irvington, NJ on February 22, 1926, the daughter of Fredrick and Emma (née Stotz) Siebert. She married Fred Edward Neese in Point Pleasant, NJ on September 11, 1948, where she lived until moving to Saranac Lake in 1975.

The Neese’s owned and operated the Village Motel before retiring in 1985. Norma was a communicant of the First Presbyterian Church of Saranac Lake where she served as a Deacon and was active in the Presbyterian Women’s Group. Norma was a great cook and an avid gardener who always loved the outdoors, both the Adirondack forests and the beaches of New Jersey and Florida. She enjoyed biking, walking, hiking, boating, swimming, and ice skating, and she shared these pastimes with her children. Norma found great pleasure in her family and friends, particularly her grandchildren.

She is survived by her two daughters, Sheree Neese-Todd of Highland Park, NJ and Susan Rushlaw Leuthner of Saranac Lake and South Carolina, her son-in-law Robert “Red” Leuthner, her grandchildren Samantha, Christopher and Joshua, her great grandchildren Logan and Tiernan, her niece Kathryn Seibert, nephew Bob Seibert, as well as her “unofficial” children Marilyn Bigelow and Edward “Darby” Smith. Norma was preceded in death by her parents, her in-laws, her husband Fred and one son Fred “Rick” Neese.

Funeral arrangement are in the care of the Fortune-Keough Funeral Home in Saranac Lake and services will take place at the First Presbyterian Church in Saranac Lake at the convenience of the family. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Deacon’s Fund of the First Presbyterian Church or the Tri-Lakes Humane Society, care of the Fortune-Keough Funeral Home. Family and friends can also sign the online guest book and share their memories at fortunekeoughfuneralhome.com