Norma T. Rich

1930, the daughter of Frank and Grace Tate. She was preceded in death by her husband

of sixty-one years, John W. Rich, in May of 2013. She is survived by her daughter Amy

Lucile Rich (Eddie Schmidt), her sons, David Tate Rich (Nora), and John William Rich

(Karen), all of Nashville, TN, and ten grandchildren, John R. Rich (Jessica), D. Tate Rich,

Jr. (Mariel), E. Grace French (Brad), E. Lucile Rich, Thomas E. Tompkins (Caroline), Kathryn

T. Dick (Hagan), C. Rich Tompkins, W. Miller Rich, Martha N. Rich, and Jackson P. Rich,

and four great-grandchildren, Helen E. Rich, Lucile Grace Rich, Diane K. French, and T.E.

(Tripp) Tompkins. She is also survived by her sister, Pauline Tate Ball of Kenbridge,

Virginia, niece, Norma (Dick) Burke of Lexington, Kentucky and nephew, Jim Ball (Cheryl)

of Kenbridge, Virginia. She was preceded by a brother, George Frank Tate, of Lake

Jackson, Texas. Mrs. Rich graduated from Seminole High School in 1946 and from the University of

Oklahoma in 1950. At OU she was a member of the Tri Delta Sorority and majored in

speech and hearing which led to her first job following graduation in Nashville. Mrs. Rich was an active member of Westminster Presbyterian Church where she taught Sunday School and sang in the choir. She was later elected to the Board of the Louisville Presbyterian Seminary where she served as its first ever female Moderator. She was an

avid supporter of the Nashville Ballet, the Nashville Symphony, the Nashville Opera, and

the Blair School of Music, and she enjoyed delivering Meals on Wheels at the Martha

O’Bryan Center for many years. In addition, Mrs. Rich organized and later served as

President of the first local chapter of PEO, and she was a member of the Hill Meade

Garden Club and the Centennial Club. Mrs. Rich’s children and grandchildren remember her most for her kindness, her enjoyment of friends and family, and her unbounded enthusiasm for life. She was well known for her

inspirational family activities, whether hiking in the woods, shelling on a beach, or endless

bike rides. These excursions were often of uncertain direction and duration, but always

memorable. In later years, she took great pleasure in trips to London with her friend, Liz

Ramsey, where they took courses together at Oxford University as part of the University

Vacation Programs. Mrs. Rich was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2002. The family would like to thank the

staff at Richland Place, and especially her care-givers, Grace Patton and Pat Coleman.