FARMINGTON – Norma E. (Jo) Morton, 81, of Rangeley, died Sunday, Sept. 16, at Franklin Memorial Hospital after a short illness.

She was born Jan. 14, 1926, in Rangeley, the youngest child of Philip and Amanda (Brackett) Huntoon. She was a life-long resident of Rangeley.

Ben and Jo Morton were married in Rangeley on Oct. 26, 1947, during a fall snowstorm. Together they owned and operated Morton’s Market in Oquossoc from 1947 to 1953. Morton’s Market is now the Oquossoc Grocery and is owned by their granddaughter, Kelley and her husband. In 1953, they built the Town & Lake Motel in Rangeley and operated this business for 30 years, until selling it to their son, Joey and his wife. Many dear friendships were made with their customers during this time.

She and Ben spent the last 22 years wintering in Key Colony Beach in the Florida Keys, where they thoroughly enjoyed the company of their friends at their nightly “Round Table.”

Jo was a member of the Rangeley Congregational Church and was proud of her time spent on the Rangeley School Board, having in 1972 successfully retained the school in Rangeley.

She signed all four of her children’s diplomas. She enjoyed knitting, reading, was a marvelous cook and baker and “cruised” the main street of Rangeley checking on her grandchildren. She loved her family and adored her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She met with her coffee klatsch friends every morning at the local coffee shops.

She is survived by her husband of 60 years; her sons, Scott Morton, and his wife, Nancy and John “Joey” Morton, and his wife, Sheryl; her daughter, Judith Morton, and her husband, Harold Schaetzle, all of Rangeley; nine grandchildren, Beth Eastlack, and her husband, Jamie, Kelley Stokes, and her husband, Brad, Allison Roeder, and her husband, Chris, Paige Madeira, Abby Madeira, Kent Madeira, Ashley Morton, Ben Morton and Alex Morton, all of Rangeley; four great-grandchildren, Lauren Eastlack, Emily Eastlack, Amelia Stokes and Natalie Jo Stokes, also all of Rangeley; her sister, Glenna Moran of Gardiner; along with many nieces, nephews and friends including a lifelong friend, Lucy Tuthill of Riverside, R.I.

She was predeceased by one son, Kent Morton in 1971; two brothers, Elwood “Alec” Huntoon and Gleason Huntoon; and one sister, Maxine Gondolfo.