Nora S. Kellogg

Nora Kellogg Obituary Nora Lee Spotts was born in Oberlin, Ohio on March 3, 1925, and transitioned on January 12, 2022. She was preceded in death by her mother Blanche, father Samuel, brothers Robert and Ralph, her sister Helen, daughter-in-law Jannette, and her loving husband of 45 years Charles P. Kellogg Sr. Left to mourn Nora’s death are her two daughters Brenda Kellogg Jones (Ron), Saundra Kellogg Green (Sam), her son Charles Pezavia Kellogg II, and her “adopted” children Ladonna Longs and Carl Babb-Fowler (Marie) who lived with the Kellogg family for several years. She also leaves her grandchildren; Marcus K. Jones (Katerina), Kai Jones-Weidie (Kyle), Naima Green-Riley (Christopher), Amani Green, Jeunese Forchin, and Khadijah Kellogg, great-grandchildren Navan and Sanas, and great grandchild-to-be, Baby Green-Riley. In addition, she is mourned by her eleven nieces and nephews: Ralph Spotts Jr. (Donna), Roberta Garcia, Gregory Brown, Lynn Higginbotham, Darlene Anderson (Sherwin), John Kellogg (Sandy), Donna Birdsong, Alex Ray (Jeryl), Vivienne Howze, William Kellogg III (Muriel), William Ray Jr. and numerous friends. Nora graduated from Oberlin High School in 1943. She contributed to the WWII effort as a “Rosie Riveter” constructing fighter planes. Traditionally, these factory jobs had been filled by men, however, when the men went to fight the women took on this role. After working and saving money for a year, she enrolled in Clark College, Atlanta, GA. She completed her B.A. in 1947. Upon graduating from college, Nora returned to Ohio ultimately landing in Cleveland where she married Charles P. Kellogg. This union brought about three children: Brenda, Saundra, and Charles Jr. In the 1960s Census she was a Lead Census Taker which was a very unusual role for a woman at that time. As a child and young adult, Nora was a member of Rust Methodist Church in Oberlin, Ohio where she honed her acting skills by reciting poetry at various church functions. Her later church memberships included St. Matthew United Methodist Church in Cleveland, Ohio, First United Methodist Church in Evanston, Illinois, and Aldersgate United Methodist Church in Cleveland Heights until her health prevented her continued attendance. She was a member of the choir in all of these churches and was a Sunday School and summer Bible School teacher at two locations. Nora was a teacher at Jacob A. Riis Elementary and Middle School located on Chicago’s west side. She loved teaching her 7th and 8th graders and remained on the Riis faculty for her entire 30-year career. There she educated, nurtured, and mentored hundreds of students. Her enthusiasm for teaching did not end in the classroom. Nora would often bring a select group of students to her home for a weekend retreat and take them on cultural excursions to help broaden their horizons. Recently, through the power of the internet, she was able to reconnect with many of her students. On her last birthday (96) over 100 comments were left to her from former students and colleagues. She was touched deeply by the statements that were made by all of the people she taught. Nora’s hobbies included a passion for acting and playing Scrabble. She joined the Karamu House Theater Group in the late 1950s. She was praised by Cleveland critics for her many notable roles in productions including “Waiting for Godot,” “Death of a Salesman,” “Summer of the Seventeenth Doll,” Fashion or Life in New York,” and as Mama in “A Raisin in the Sun.” She performed alongside many actors who took their trade to film including Al Fann, Minny Gentry, and Ron O’Neal. Her passion for acting never faded as she continued to act in theater productions while she lived in Evanston, Illinois, and after her return to Cleveland. She pursued this hobby until she was well into her 80s. Nora was an excellent and avid Scrabble player. Every Friday was Scrabble-day. She and her friends, Maxine, Irma, Anetha, and Fedelma, would begin their Scrabble games in the early afternoon. Often, these games lasted until the wee hours of the morning. She truly loved the game and was always ready to play and to win. Nora’s life covered an amazing century of change. During her 96 years of life American homes went from gas lamps to electricity, wood stoves to central heating, and telephones from one per family to one per person. She lived to see spaceships go to the moon and the election of the country’s first Black President. She will be missed by all of us who loved her dearly. To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Nora S. Kellogg, please visit our floral store. Read More

Nora S. Kellogg

March 3, 1925 - January 12, 2022