Norman Gordon Booth, Jr.

Norman Gordon Booth, Jr. died peacefully surrounded by his family in Vero Beach, FL in the early morning hours of December 19, 2017 after a brief illness.

Norm was born in Newark, NJ on November 22, 1953 to his parents, Frances Conway Booth and Norman Gordon Booth, Sr.

Norm had many passions in life and a successful career, fueled by a powerful intellect, an inquisitive mind and a devotion to academic pursuits and his family.

After graduating from Chatham Township High School in New Jersey, he attended the County College of Morris and West Virginia University, where he earned two Bachelor of Science degrees in Journalism and Business Administration.

His early career was spent at Digital Equipment Corporation in Merrimack, NH, as a technical writer and product manager. During that time, he pursued a Masters in Business Administration from New Hampshire College and became a volunteer fire fighter for the Amherst, NH volunteer fire department.

In 1995, Norm and his family returned to NJ, where he went to work for AT&T and, later, Bell Labs. He continued to focus on his education, completing a Masters in Communications from Fairleigh Dickinson University, later earning his Doctor of Letters from Drew University.

He most recently worked for Coyne Public Relations where he worked on behalf of companies and institutions such as Cornell University, Columbia University, Nikon Instruments, and Siemen’s Healthcare translating cutting edge research and products into ideas and stories for major media outlets and publications in the US and throughout the world.

Motorcycle riding was an activity he pursued throughout his life, taking multiple long distance rides to Nova Scotia, West Virginia, Virginia, Tennessee and Florida. On his rides he made many friends and often went on local rides with friends and family. He was a founding member of the “Flying-Motorcycle-Club” of Flagler Beach.

He kept extensive journals detailing his motorcycle trips, writing about a 2003 trip to West Virginia, “Drove 500 miles each way to Beckley and another 350-500 miles around West Virginia to Charleston for the BMW Motorcycle Owners of America Rally. Jane’s dad, at 77, still enjoys a good ride, and took us to visit beautiful waterfalls and to Grandview State Park, which is where we were married 25 years ago.”

Norm is survived by his wife Elizabeth Jane Dugger Booth, daughter Jessica Conway Booth, son Colin Gordon Booth, sister Barbara Booth Luperi and brother Douglas Denniston Booth. He will be missed by his cousins, nieces and nephews, coworkers, and many others.

Memorial celebrations will be held in Vero Beach and in NJ. Please consider donations to VNA Hospice of Indian River County in lieu of flowers.