Nina Norton Roth

Although a Jersey girl at heart, Nina Norton Roth spent most of her adult life residing in Jacksonville, Florida. While not a native Southern belle, Nina quickly adapted and found the friendships and social circle that defined her years in Jacksonville.

Born on March 15, 1933, in Bayonne, New Jersey, Nina lived a life abundant in love from her husband of 70 years, Neal, her three children, her eleven grandchildren, and her three great-grandsons. Nina passed away at 6:09 am on Monday, August 5th, at the age of 91, in her home, in the room with the orange chair she loved the most, surrounded by the family photos that daily brought her warm memories and much joy.

Nina and her devoted husband, Neal, were married for 70 years. Engaged to Neal in her senior year of college and married shortly after graduation, Nina packed her bags and left her Jersey home to follow the love of her life to Jacksonville, where Neal became a practicing orthodontist. The courtship story Neal loves to tell is the pinnacle moment that cemented their relationship and marriage. As he tells it, Nina and Neal had been dating for a few months, and while Neal learned from his mother that Nina was a diabetic, Nina, worried about the stigma attached to illness in the 1950’s, chose to withhold this information. After dinner ended and before dessert was offered, Neal told Nina, “No sweets are needed because you are already so sweet.” And, to this, Nina replied, “I am much sweeter than you think!” With her honest but difficult disclosure, Neal knew that Nina would soon be his bride. And so began their journey, and until her finalbreath, Neal dutifully cared for her. So well, in fact, that Nina achieved The Joslin Victory Medal Award for living courageously with diabetes for more than 75 years, from the Joslin Clinic in Boston. Even at 90 years old, Nina still worked out twice a week and kept pace with women half her age on the treadmill. A graduate of Uppsala University, Nina majored in Education and became an elementary schoolteacher in Jacksonville, following in the footsteps of her erudite mother, Cecile Norton and her loving father, attorney Wallace Norton.

Neal and Nina’s first home was on Riverbirch Lane, and this is where their three children, Jonathan (called “Jonny”), David, and Wendy, were born. Nina was told by her doctors to only have two children, as childbirth was riskier for her due to her diabetes. Nina was never a very good listener (lol!), especially when Neal was doing the talking!, and proceeded with her dream to complete her family with a girl. Those were the golden years, with play dates in the street, barbeques in the backyard, and, believe it or not, no air conditioning in the house. Nina and Neal eventually moved to LaVaca Lane, where Nina made a beautiful home for her family. Always a fashionista with a keen sense of design and style, Nina loved decorating and dressing her children in the latest trending styles. Nina and Neal continued to enjoy their social interactions, joining Beauclerc Country Club and, again, making wonderful and enduring friendships. Jonny, David and Wendy would often come home to find Nina sitting at the game table, playing mahjong with her friends and sharing stories of her children’s accomplishments and shenanigans.

Nina and Neal travelled often during these happy years, both on their own to exotic, faraway destinations and taking ski trips with their children and friends to the North Carolina mountains. Homework, field trips, PTA, and managing her children’s schedules filled Nina’s days and this time spent with her children brought her the greatest joy. Nina was a Lion of Judah at the Jacksonville Federation and an avid supporter of River Gardens and the Jacksonville Community Alliance. Neal and Nina are members of both the Jacksonville Jewish Center and Temple Ahavath Chesed.

The years flew by, and in a blink of eye, Jonny, David, and Wendy were off to college and Neal and Nina were empty nesters. Life, however, is precarious and in 1981, tragedy struck, when Nina and Neal’s first-born son, Jonny, died in a scuba diving accident in Mexico. For Nina, from this moment on, her life was now divided into two spheres: life before Jonny’s death and life after. The years that followed were lived in a haze, and a deep despair seeped inside her heart and took permanent residence there. For many months after this dark day, Nina took a lawn chair and sat by Jonny’s grave, reading the newspaper to him so that he would not be alone. Nina, Neal, David and Wendy are greatly comforted by the knowledge that Nina and Jonny will now be reunited and Jonny no longer will be alone.

Nina created a legacy that will live on in the lives and hearts of her eleven grandchildren, who best remember their grandma for the many runs they made together to Bloomies and Nordstroms. Indelible memories were made at their beautiful South Florida home, where Neal and Nina spent twenty winter seasons, populated by tri-annual visits from their grandchildren. Here, also, Nina created a beautiful interior landscape with themed bedrooms (the OG monkey room!) and a meticulously clean home. Roast beef dinners and Passover seders at the club brought many shared moments and memories her family will carry forever.

Nina is preceded in death by her mother and father, Cecile and Wallace Norton, and her older sister, Marjorie Perlmutter. Nina leaves behind her husband Neal Roth (age 97), her daughter (Wendy Silver) and her husband (Steven SIlver), her son (David Roth) and his wife (Kathy Roth). Nina’s eleven grandchildren will miss their grandma very much: Jonathan, Daniel, and Simon Roth and Ashley, Carly, Peyton, Madison, Tory, Parker, Jakob, and Brooke Silver. Nina also leaves behind three adorable great-grandsons, Leo, Sammy and Jordan Roth.

A special and heartfelt thanks to the loving and competent caregivers who stayed with Nina till the end and supported Neal (keeping him in line!) during these difficult days. Thank you to Curline Darden, who personally navigated the scheduling and care, Karen Williams, Neal’s anchor in this tempest, who cried as hard as we did by Nina’s side, Quinn, who lovingly spoonfed Nina cream of wheat in the mornings, and to Ida, who brought calm to chaos. And, of course, our hearts go out to Melba and her two loving daughters, whose green soup provided sustenance and liquid love in the final days. We could not have made this journey without your love, support, prayers and guidance.

Nina, Mom, Grandma, Great Grandma, we love you so much. We are so grateful for the years we had and the memories we made. We will miss you very much.

Please consider donating to the Mayo Clinic, where Nina was treated for myelofibrosis (Mayo Clinic) Nina bravely battled myelofibrosis for six years, living three years longer than her doctors predicted. Mylofibrosis is an uncommon type of bone marrow cancer that disrupts the body’s production of blood cells, leading to severe anemia, weakness, and fatigue. Your support will help advance research and provide assistance to others affected by this disease.