Recent Writeup in the “Addy Indy”
By John Flowers
“SHOREHAM — Norton Latourelle and his wife Marlene Ann Thornton were often visited by delightfully curious crimson cardinals during their 35 years together at their beloved Shoreham home and workshop, where Norton — a renowned contemporary American folk artist — has transformed nondescript wooden blocks into thousands of charming dogs, cats, fish, insects, humans and just about anything you can imagine.
But the cardinal has been Latourelle’s almost singular focus this year, as the bird has come to symbolize the love of his life and a fierce battle against the deadly foe that took her from him. Marlene died on March 12 after a courageous battle with glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer.
Under the nurturing gaze of a Shoreham community that has cocooned him in love as he navigates this period of immense grief, Latourelle, 76, and a small band of dedicated helpers have methodically and painstakingly carved, sanded and painted 1,000 cardinals that are being offered — each for a $100 donation — to seed a new fund at UVM Medical Center to aid victims of, and to do research on, glioblastoma…”