Obituary for Dr. Andrew J. Norton

Andrew J. Norton, MD, FACP of Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, passed peacefully into his eternal, heavenly home on Sunday, September 6, 2020, at Lankenau Medical Center, surrounded by his beloved wife Deyonne Epperson and his loving family.

Dr. Norton, always humble and unassuming, encouraged everyone to call him Andy instead of Doctor Norton. Andy was born March 26, 1956, in Buffalo, New York, to Dr. James F. Norton and Mary E. Falk. Andy spent his childhood growing up in East Aurora, New York. Andy attended Stella Niagara Military School then Canisius High School and earned his undergraduate degree from Saint Louis University. The son of a general practitioner, he followed in his father’s footsteps, attending Jefferson Medical College, where he completed his medical degree. He then moved to the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW), where he completed his residency in internal medicine and spent the next 30 years. From 1997–2011 Andy served as Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer for Froedtert Hospital, affiliated with the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) in Milwaukee, where he was Professor of Clinical Medicine. Andy is a past chair of the Chief Medical Officer Group of the Association of American Medical Colleges. He maintained an ambulatory clinical practice in general internal medicine for 27 years in his adopted home of Milwaukee.                                                 

Since 2012, Andy served as Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer at Main Line Health. He took great pleasure in educating medical students and residents at Lankenau Medical Center. From the moment he arrived, Andy made it clear that education was one of his passions and that he wished to share his knowledge and enthusiasm for the practice of medicine with young learners. In addition to being a passionate teacher, he enjoyed being a lifelong learner. He never stopped reading and going to conferences, and delighted in talking about journal articles he had read with others. A generation of internal medicine physicians has been influenced by Andy and will continue his legacy of passion for medicine, education, and care for his fellow human beings. His legacy will live on through his students and mentees.

Andy held a unique place at Main Line Health. He was not simply the “head physician,” but he was the primary driver for change in how to practice safer, better, equitable, and patient-centered medicine in his hospitals. A provocative thinker, he was always challenging the status quo and took great satisfaction and special pride in doing so. He knew that being the fulcrum for evolving care was his necessary and defining responsibility. “How we’ve always done it” was a concept he vehemently rejected as unacceptable. He was a mentor to more than he knew, and he had little idea of his importance to each of them. Wryly self-deprecating, proud but unassuming, he was firm while always warm, kind, and considerate. He was a strong and imaginative leader without ego and was an especially strong proponent of physician and nursing partnership.

One of his greatest recent professional achievements was his leadership of Main Line Health system’s response to COVID-19. He drove a coordinated strategy and became the system’s visible face of the efforts, working limitless hours to present a calm and thoughtful response to the pandemic.

 Six years ago, Andy met the love of his life, Deyonne Epperson. Soon after meeting, Andy and Deyonne developed an abiding friendship and soon a deep, inseparable love for each other. Best friends, they married in May of 2019 and built a beautiful life together. They enjoyed a wonderful, adventurous and meaningful life filled with shared interests of traveling, golfing, biking, and spending time with family, friends, and each other. They also enjoyed trips into downtown Philadelphia going to museums, dinner, and various events.

 Andy was preceded in death by his parents. He is survived by his beloved wife Deyonne, whom he adored; his children, whom he deeply loved and was extremely proud of, Aryn, Caleb, Mackenzie, Samuel (Mollie) and grandson Dean; his stepdaughter, Stephanie (Chris) Rakic; and his grandsons, Ante and Arion. He also leaves behind his siblings, with whom he had a close relationship, Mary Jo (Jay) Geaman, James F. Norton, Jr. (Sharon), Elizabeth (Philip) Colarusso, William (Christine) Norton, Helen (Robert) Hasselback; as well as cousins, his family by marriage, and numerous nieces, and nephews.

 Andy was without question a man of integrity. He was a loving, giving, and caring person. He had a way of making everyone feel included and valued. Andy was loved and admired by all who knew him. Even though his wife, family, friends, colleagues, and the entire Main Line Health community feel a deep pain and sorrow in our hearts from his passing, we celebrate the fact that he is at peace in God’s loving arms.

 The family respectfully requests that in lieu of flowers, for those interested, contributions be made in his memory to the Andrew J. Norton, MD Memorial Fund at Main Line Health by sending a check made payable to “Main Line Health,” with “Dr. Norton Memorial Fund” indicated in the memo section, to the following address: 

Main Line Health Development

240 North Radnor Chester Road Suite 340

Radnor, PA 19087

A private memorial service to celebrate Andy’s life will be on Saturday, September 26, 2020, at 11:00 a.m. EST at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary, Chapel of the Immaculate Conception.

The memorial service will be for family only but will be open to all who wish to attend via online livestream.  To access the link for the livestream, go to https://mlhevents.webex.com/mlhevents/onstage/g.php?MTID=e5fa0ff0bfb69dadf6ade72edfd66036c

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