Esther and Jacob were married in somewhat of an arranged marriage just weeks after their respective spouses died. Because Esther already had two children, David and Lillian, from her previous marriage, Jacob was the perfect match as he was rumored to be sterile because he produced no children with his first wife. He was also desirable because in addition to being an Orthodox Jewish Rabbi at the Olive Street Shul in downtown Los Angeles, he owned a Kosher butcher shop and therefore would always be able to provide for her two children. The sterility rumor was quickly put to rest when Esther soon became pregnant with Stanley, then Eleanor, and finally Florence. It became obvious that it was Jacob’s first wife who was sterile - and lucky for that, because otherwise, there would have never been a Nancy Norman!

Hardship befell the Berman family in 1931, during the depth of the Depression, when her father passed away at 69 years of age. Florence hardly got to know her father, who was 64 years old when she was born. The Berman family struggled through the Depression years with her eldest siblings, who were working, providing some assistance.

Florence had a natural born talent for singing, and studied voice while attending Roosevelt High School. Then, World War II erupted. Many of her classmates of Japanese descent, along with their families, were sent to relocation facilities outside of Los Angeles. Other young men, enlisted into the service. During this time, Florence learned that the renowned “Swing and Sway” bandleader Sammy Kaye was going to be holding a contest in Los Angeles. She entered the “Who Wants to Sing With the Band” contest and Sammy Kaye was so impressed with Florence that he immediately signed her on as one of his “girl singers” in his “Swing and Sway” band. Little Florence soon became known as Nancy Norman. At just 4’11”, barely 100lbs, and just 16 years old, "Little Nancy Norman" as she was frequently introduced, was underaged and had to be accompanied by her mother when she traveled back to New York City, as well as traveling to other cities with the Sammy Kaye Orchestra.

Nancy Norman spent just three years, from 1942 to 1945, as Sammy Kaye’s lead girl singer, but what years those were to become. The 1940's big band sound was a romantic time of hot swinging tunes, silly novelty songs and lonely ballads. Nancy Norman had hits and memorable songs with each of these song formats with hits including: Chickery Chick, Saturday Night is the Loneliest Night of the Week, and There Will Never Be Another You. At one point in her short career, she had three songs in the top 10 according Billboard’s top jukebox played songs. Chickery Chick spent four and a half months on the charts, and one month at the top of the charts, an impressive feat for this young singer. Nancy Norman also introduced several classic songs such as You’ll Never Know, and As Time Goes By. She performed with the Sammy Kaye Orchestra across the country including New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia. However, following one performance in Boston, Massachusetts with her suggestive rendition of I’m A Big Girl Now, Miss Norman fell to the fate of being “Banned in Boston” from ever again performing in that city.

In 1948 Nancy Norman married Robert Jacobs and relocated back to Beverly Hills, California to become a very content housewife. She is the proud mother of three children: Jay, Dennis and Barry, and proud granny to Jennifer and Nathan. Nancy still resides in her native Los Angeles in the same Westside home that she and her husband built shortly after their marriage.