A past Normandy Park community member, Novelle Francis Ballard (Mudd) passed away on March 27, 2024.
Novelle was born in Compton, California on November 2, 1943, and grew up there with her parents and sister, Charlene Jones (Mudd).
She was the first in her family to go to college, graduating from Fresno State University as a registered nurse. She married and had three children while living in the San Francisco Bay area, moving to the Pacific Northwest with her young family in the early 1970s. Here, she worked at Highline Community Hospital in Burien and lived in the North Hill neighborhood.
While working as a nurse, she met her second husband, Jack Ballard, and together they bought their home in Normandy Park. While in Normandy Park, Novelle also began her own business (the South Seattle Women’s Business League), volunteered with the Seattle Opera Guild, and attended the University of Puget Sound Law School to become a lawyer, working first as a prosecutor for the City of Seattle and then privately.
She and Jack left Normandy Park, moved to Olympia and then to Port Ludlow where they built two homes near the water, enjoyed boating on their “Stardust”, and spending time with family and friends. After retiring, they took motor home trips to explore the Southwestern states and eventually settled in Sun City Grand, Arizona for the warmer weather and new community. In 2020, Novelle moved back up to the Seattle area where she spent her last years.
Novelle loved being a mom and grandma, and spending time with her family especially during the holiday season. She also loved her homes in Normandy Park and Port Ludlow, ferry rides, good books and movies, and the occasional glass of champagne!
She will forever be loved and remembered by her three children, Matt Brown of West Seattle, Jennifer Willows (Kurt Willows) of Everett, and Katie Brown (Mike Green) of Christchurch, New Zealand, and her four grandchildren, Elsa, Ian, George and Will.
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