Nora Jude Jaster

Nora Jaster, of Potomac Falls, Virginia, died peacefully on June 28, 2023 at Reston Medical Center from the effects of a sudden acute cerebral hemorrhage suffered 3 days earlier. Her family and many friends mourn the untimely loss of a special woman so alive only days earlier.

Nora was born in Queens New York on December 4, 1963 to the late Harry and Maryann (Behrmann) Magee of Nanuet and Nyack, New York. She was a daddy’s girl – the youngest of four talented siblings, and the constant companion to her next oldest brother, David – who was never short of pals angling for a chance to date his gorgeous sister. Artistic talent flows prodigiously through the Magee clan, and Nora was given a full share. She studied art at the prestigious Parsons School of Design in New York City, as well as abroad in Paris, France and Florence, Italy, graduating with a Bachelors in Fine Arts – Communication Design. While still in school she took a fateful trip to visit David at Duke, whose college roommate, Mark, takes one look and proclaims that he will be marrying Dave’s little sister someday. From Parsons Nora landed her dream job as an Art Director in Madison Avenue’s top advertising agencies, including Saatchi and Saatchi and McCaffery and McCall. Her talent leapt from the pages of iconic print campaigns from brands such as Mercedes Benz, Tiffany and Company, Proctor and Gamble, and Johnson & Johnson. But by the early 90’s Mark had moved back east and hatched a plan to have their paths cross again – reeling-in Nora to Virginia where she joined Arnold Advertising and inspired the campaigns of Mobil Oil, the National Institutes of Health, and National Geographic. There her design sense and gifts for visual storytelling garnered national and international acclaim landing her a Gold Clio, an award in Communications Arts, a showcase spot in the One Show and a London International Advertising Award. Nora and Mark were married on September 4, 1993, starting their life together in Alexandria. Then, on September 24, 1994, the center of Nora’s universe arrived when she joyfully gave birth to Scott, who she spoiled mercilessly. After a few short years in White Fish Bay, Wisconsin, on the beautiful, but frigid, shore of Lake Michigan, the family resettled for the next 16 years to the warmer climes of Bryn Mawr Pennsylvania where Nora made new friends along the sidelines of every youth sport offered by Radnor Township and every golf course of the local and national junior golf circuits, where she tirelessly supported her son at every event. It was here in Bryn Mawr where Nora found her second career as an early childhood educator. With an endless reserve of creativity, a keen sense of her own inner child, and love for individuality, Nora inspired children to discover where their imagination would take them – engrossing them in learning and creative expression. She brought to the classroom an authentic, innate, and common-sense philosophy of childhood education. She would devote hours preparing projects that might last for seconds to spark the ember of wonder in a child (as a garage stacked to the rafters of her props will attest). And, she spent days coming up with uniquely personal and insightful reports for the children’s parents to share the totality of what she observed in their child. To her coworkers in advertising and at schools, Nora was known as a smart, warm, wickedly funny, and fun bender-of-the-rules when she felt the need, who was uncompromising and fearless where her standards were concerned. She showed where she stood by her actions, but was never at a loss for words, or without a witty comment, when needed. We miss her deeply.

A visitation and celebration of Nora’s life will be held starting at 11:00am on Saturday, July 15, 2023, at the Demaine Funeral Home at 520 S. Washington Street in Alexandria, Virginia. The family wishes for any donations friends and family wish to make to be directed in her name to Children Incorporated (https://childrenincorporated.org/) or the International Child Art Foundation (https://www.icaf.org/).