Norman Rockwell married three times.

1.    His first wife was Irene O’Connor, married April 3, 1916.

After only being married for a short five years, the couple divorced in 1921.  Some sources say that they delayed the divorced until January 13, 1930. She passed away November 4, 1934.

2.    To cope with his divorce, Rockwell moved to California for a brief time. It was there Rockwell met and married schoolteacher Mary Barstow in 1930.

The couple returned to New York shortly after their marriage. They had three children, Jarvis, Thomas, and Peter.

After living in NY for almost a decade, the family moved to Arlington, Vermont in 1939. After the studio fire in 1943, Rockwell moved his family once more. They settled in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. The location was due to Rockwell’s wife, Mary, having a mental illness. They had moved so Mary could begin treatment at a psychiatric hospital. 

In 1959, almost 30 years after their marriage began, Mary died of a heart attack.

3.    Two years later, Rockwell married his third wife, Mary Leete “Mollie” Punderson. Stockbridge native, Radcliffe graduate, English teacher 39 years, Milton Academy for Girls: retired 1959 and returned to Stockbridge.

Following Mary’s death, his recovery from mourning was slow and painful. Norman’s doctor told him that what he needed was a wife. The doctor had a suggestion: ”How about Molly Punderson?” Learning that Miss Punderson was teaching a once-a-week poetry class for adults, Norman enrolled. They married October 25, 1961.

The couple remained married until Rockwell’s death in 1978.