Obituary of Norma H. Banziger

Norma Helen Banziger, age 83, died peacefully surrounded by her family at Reston Hospital Center in Reston, VA on Wednesday evening, February 3rd, 2016.   Born August 2nd, 1932, in Boston, Massachusetts, to Dorothy Kearney and Arthur Stackpole, Norma attended Roxbury's Dearborn School in Boston.  She served in the United States Air Force as a Flight Attendant from 1954 to 1956.  It was here that she met her life-long soulmate, Hans Richard Banziger, who worked as a Petty Officer in the United States Navy.  The couple married on September 24th, 1955, in a small chapel at Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn, New York.  They soon moved to Anchorage, Territory of Alaska and welcomed the birth of their first son, Richard.  Several years later their second son, Vance, was born after Alaska had become the 49th state.  Over the next several years, Norma, Hans and the boys lived overseas in Turkey, Spain, Portugal and Germany.  In 1963, they relocated to Houston, Texas because of the space program, and later welcomed their third son, Hans.  In 1971, the family settled in Reston, Virginia where they have resided ever since.  Norma and Hans have also enjoyed many good times with family and friends at their summer beach home in Fenwick Island, Delaware.   Norma was a loving and devoted wife, mother, Mema and friend who always put others before herself.   She will be remembered for her vivacious and magnetic personality, true love for adventure and travel, but most of all her kind, generous and loving heart that touched so many lives.  She was a passionate philanthropist who always wanted to help those in need.  Norma enjoyed traveling worldwide with her husband and close friends over the years, and was an amazing photographer who captured so many cherished moments on film.  She was a parishioner at Saint John Neumann Catholic Church in Reston, Virginia. She is survived by her loving husband of 60 years, Hans; son and daughter-in-law, Richard and Alison, of McLean, VA; son, Vance, of Reston, VA; son, Hans, of Charlottesville, VA; and her beloved grandchildren Maxwell Dean, Hans Richard, Jillian Claire, Sophia Renee and Daen Traugott Banziger.  She is preceded in death by her parents; in-laws Traugott and Bertha Banziger; two sisters, Barbara and Jean Stackpole; and a brother, Robert Stackpole. A memorial service will be held at 2:00pm on Saturday, February 13th, 2016 at Saint John Neumann Catholic Church located at 11900 Lawyers Road, Reston, Virginia 20191.  The family will receive guests starting at 1:30pm.  All guests are invited to a Celebration of Life to honor Norma following the service.  This reception will take place at the Tower Club in Tysons Corner beginning at 3:30pm, located at: 8000 Towers Crescent Drive, #1700, Vienna, Virginia 22182. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Norma's memory to either charitable organization below:   Saint John Neumann Catholic Church 11900 Lawyers Road Reston, Virginia 20191 www.saintjn.org Georgetown Lombardi Cancer Center 3970 Reservoir Road NW Washington, DC 20007 https://lombardi.georgetown.edu/