Doris Baird Norris

Doris Baird Norris, daughter of Blanche Hallett and G. Stanley Baird, was born on May 21, 1929, and spent her early years in Suffern, NY.  Known to all as Dorry, she died on February 14, 2024, at Hospicare in Ithaca, NY. Dorry graduated from the College of Home Economics at Cornell University in 1951 and married James A. Norris in 1952.  They lived in Delaware and Tennessee before settling in Elmira, NY.  She is mother to five children, Holly (Skip) Hardie of Lansing, NY, Linda Norris (Drew Harty) of Treadwell, NY, Mary Kaminski of West Falmouth, MA, James (Elizabeth) Norris of Panama City, FL, and John (Brenda) Norris of Bainbridge Island, WA. Her ten grandchildren are Benjamin (Laura) Hardie, Caitlin (Nathan) Hart, Joseph Hardie, Anna Harty, Joseph (Corey) Kaminski IV, Adam (Sarah) Hardie, James Kaminski (Trish Cafferky), Ian Norris, Eliza Norris, Phoebe Norris, and seven great grandchildren: Juniper and Maverick Hardie; Imogene, Orion, and Adelaide Hart; Harper Kaminski; and Jack Hardie. She is also survived by her sister Laurel Clapp of Hudson, NY and her sister-in-law Margaret Belden of Plymouth, MA. She was predeceased by her sister Bette Gallup of Hillsdale, NY.  

Dorry was a dedicated community volunteer no matter where she lived:  in Elmira at the YWCA, First Presbyterian Church, and various efforts involving her kids from Girl Scouts to PTA.   In Hagerstown, MD, where she lived for several years, she became deeply involved as a volunteer at the Rural Heritage Museum. Dorry was a maker–she loved doing all sorts of work with her hands: sewing, needlepoint, knitting, wallpapering, furniture refinishing, generations of Christmas stockings, and for several years, was a jewelry maker and silversmith, selling her work at craft fairs and local shops in the Elmira/Corning area.

After her divorce, Dorry opened Sage Cottage Bed and Breakfast in Trumansburg, NY with notable herb gardens and a gorgeous interior. She held classes on growing and cooking with herbs, wrote a regular newsletter, Sage Advice, and was the author of the Sage Cottage Herb Garden Cookbook.  She loved traveling, talking and word play with her partner of several decades, Roy Thaler. After sojourns in Franklin, TN and Hagerstown, MD, she and Roy returned to Ithaca to reside at Longview Senior Living Community where she volunteered on several committees and enjoyed Ithaca College students who came to work with residents.

Dorry brought a constant curiosity to the world around her–from gardens and the natural world to history and new technologies. Her endless curiosity serves as an inspiration for all of her family.  

Later this year, there will be a family gathering to celebrate her life.  The family expresses their thanks to the staff at Longview, Cayuga Medical Center and Hospicare for their caring support.

If desired, those who knew her are welcome to make contributions to the Friends of Stewart Park, 120 Brindley Street, Suite 4, Ithaca, NY 14850 or Hospicare, 172 East King Road, Ithaca, NY, 14850.  Electronic contributions may be offered via the links below.