Boysen, Norma Jean (1938-2017)

BOYSEN, PLOEGER, SHARPE, QUINN, ANDERSEN, LENZ

Posted By: Paul Nagy (email)
Date: 3/3/2017 at 11:41:51

Norma Jean Boysen
November 11, 1938 - January 20, 2017

Norma Jean was born on November 11, 1938, to Herman and Leota Ploeger in Storm Lake, Iowa. Growing up in a farming family of modest means, she, quickly, learned the value of hard work. As a young child, while the other girls were playing with dolls, Norma was riding the tractor and otherwise helping her father on the farm. Ever the green thumb, Norma loved to garden, even at a young age. While in school, she became well known for her skills on the basketball court winning all state awards. Reaching her educational goals, she graduated from Buena Vista College with a degree in teaching.

Norma met Wally Boysen and shortly after their wedding, three children came along in the next four years: Doug, Christi, and Carrie. My, did she ever have her hands full!

Since Wally worked for J.C. Penney, the houses and cities they called home were ever changing. In total, Wally and Norma moved their family twelve times as their children were growing. Between moves, Norma worked at several different jobs in addition to raising their three very active children. Those who know Doug know she had her work cut out for her!

As her children moved away, married, and started their own families, Norma became the grandma every child dreams of having: always with open arms for hugs, a lap to sit on, and a laugh that could brighten the darkest of days. Her love was ever present and always known.

As retirement drew near for Wally, Norma focused on managing the building of their dream retirement home in South Carolina: an exquisite home that embodied her elegance and class. It offered enough space for all her children and their families to “come home.” Always right there with us, Norma hosted our families for countless summers: driving the boat, fishing with us, and offering words of encouragement as we swallowed a lot of lake water learning to water ski.

Norma relished the yearly Boysen Christmas. Her family would dedicate their year to making gifts by hand for each other. An avid quilter, she rarely met a piece of fabric she didn’t like…or buy for that matter! She loved to go fabric shopping with her girls.

While living in South Carolina, Norma, actively, participated in Habitat for Humanity and helped to pioneer their Habitat Store. Never quite the same after suffering a devastating stroke, however, she lost interest in many activities. Because of an ever-increasing number of health problems, Wally and Norma decided to pack up their home and move closer to the doctors and Doug in Omaha. Settling in, they joined Faithful Shepherd and adopted a church family and friends.

In recent years, Wally and Norma escaped the harsh winters of Nebraska by moving to Arizona and into a gorgeous Retirement Center near Christi. Norma’s health continued to slip, and in the end her body could no longer cope.

In her final days, Norma was surrounded by her loving husband and three children who honored her by never leaving her bedside and encircling her with love. She passed away on January 20, 2017.

A beloved wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and sister, Norma is survived by her husband, Wallace Boysen; her children: Douglas Boysen, Christi (Boysen) Sharpe, and Carrie (Boysen) Quinn; her grandchildren: Jessica (Boysen) Andersen; Elizabeth Boysen; and Kelsey and Zachary Quinn; her great-granddaughter, Evelyn Andersen; and her siblings, Phyllis (Ploeger) Lenz and Dennis Ploeger.

She was loved beyond measure and will be missed by all who knew her. A memorial service will be held in Storm Lake in late spring.

Norma Jean Boysen Family, 2017.

Buena Vista Obituaries maintained by Lynn Diemer-Mathews.
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