Nora Sanders Harrison Ball
Nora Sanders Harrison Ball, age 94, of Jackson, passed away April 24, 2015 at The Retreat in Monticello.
Mrs. Ball was born on October 31, 1920 in Monroe County, Ga. She was the youngest of five children born to Tilmon Jackson Sanders and Sarah Isabelle Williford Sanders. She was the valedictorian of her class at Mary Persons High School in Forsyth and then received a bachelor of science degree from Tift College.
Mrs. Nora Ball then moved one county over to teach in rural Butts County in 1939. While living in Butts County, she met the new local dentist, Robert Perry Harrison. In 1942, they were married and joined the Jackson Methodist Church, and since then Mrs. Ball has been a lifelong member.
During World War II, Dr. Robert Harrison received his commission into the U.S. Army Airforce and was initially stationed in Miami, Fl. It was there that their first child, Nora Linda Harrison Jordan was born. After the war, Dr. and Mrs. Harrison moved back to Jackson where their second child, Robert Sanders Kodak Harrison, was born in 1949.
In 1952, Dr. Harrison was diagnosed with cancer. Between that year and 1959, when Dr. Harrison passed away, there were good years and bad years. Mrs. Ball worked for a time with Butts County DFCS before going back to teaching school. Before she retired, she taught Butts County students for 20 years.
Mrs. Ball promised Dr. Harrison that she would do her best to see that their children were educated. One of the ways she accomplished that was to go back to school herself. Over the course of several summers, Mrs. Ball traveled back and forth to Mercer University in Macon, where she earned a masters degree in education. That degree allowed her to earn the same amount that “head of household” male teachers, without masters, earned. Both of her children graduated from Jackson High School and went to college with the help of scholarships.
In 1968, she married Jackson businessman, Levi J. Ball. Levi was also a lifelong member of the Jackson Methodist Church. Both Mrs. Ball and her new husband were active members of the church, holding down leadership positions, serving on committees, teaching Sunday school, and in Mrs. Ball’s case, helping with the bereaved or shut-ins.
She was also active in the community through the Jackson Garden Club, Delta Kappa Gamma, Butts County Retired Educators, and with the Red Cross. Mr. and Mrs. Ball were favorites of the kids in their neighborhood, allowing games to be played in their yard and more often than not providing refreshments.
She and her husband also enjoyed traveling to many of the places she had read about when teaching geography. Throughout her life, Nora Ball was a lover of flowers, animals, and always had pets, including her beloved dachshunds “Snoopy” and “Tippy.”
Shortly after she and Mr. Ball were married, Linda and Neil Jordan gave Nora Ball her first grandchild, Robert O’Neil Jordan and a few years later the second grandchild, Jennifer Jordan Sealy.
Eventually, Robert married Betty Jean Jordan and Jennifer married Shane Sealy. Jennifer and Shane have two children, Nora O’Neil Sealy and Fleming Isabelle Sealy, and therefore two great-grandchildren for Mrs. Nora Ball.
The Sealys and the Jordans live in Monticello, and Kodak and his wife, Patty Harrison, live in Decatur.
Nora and Levi were married for 30 years before he passed away in 1998. From that moment on, Mrs. Ball was a very independent woman, who championed family and church above all else.
A celebration of life for Mrs. Nora Sanders Harrison Ball was held Monday, April 27, at noon at the Jackson Methodist Church. Dr. Phil DeMore and Rev. Chris Shurtz officiated. A private interment was held in Jackson City Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers those desiring may make a contribution to the Jackson United Methodist Church or their favorite charity. An online guest registry is available at www.haistenfuneral.com.
Haisten Funeral Home of Jackson was in charge of arrangements for Mrs. Nora Sanders Harrison Ball.