ASHTON, Norma Geneva

ASHTON, ROWE, NASH, ST PIERRE, PALMER, MCGEE, REGAN, ROWE, KENT, HACKETT, HAINLINE, MUNDORF

Posted By: Roseanna Zehner (email)
Date: 4/25/2005 at 16:58:22

Opinion Tribune
April 6, 2005

Norma Geneva Ashton, 87, died April 1, 2005 at the Red Oak Good Samaritan Center. Funeral services were held April 5 at Henderson Christian Church. Hertz Funeral Home handled the arrangements.

Norma, one of two children of Arvel Rowe and Bertha (Nash) Rowe, was born near Bloomer, Wis., on August 30, 1917. After the death of Norma’s father, the family moved to Greenwood, S.D., where her mother married Benjamin John St. Pierre. Norma attended school in Greenwood.

Norma married Oscar Palmer and they established their first home on a farm near Greenwood. Their marriage was blessed with daughter Thelma and son Oscar Jr. As a result of a head injury, her husband Oscar developed a brain tumor and later died.

In 1940, Norma married Oscar’s cousin Earl McGee and Norma and her children joined Earl in Henderson, Iowa. Norma enjoyed the duties of a farm wife and their marriage was blessed with four daughters, Norma Jean, Nora Jane, Janet and Martha. Norma enjoyed life in the Henderson community where she joined the Henderson Christian Church and enjoyed quilting with her friends. She was a faithful church volunteer helping prepare and serve many church dinners. She served the youth of the community as a 4-H leader and part-time cook at the Henderson Community School. She and Earl enjoyed traveling and time spent with their children and grandchildren. Norma and Earl later divorced and Norma continued to live on their family farm.

Norma and Don Ashton of Larchwood, Iowa were married in 1985 and made their home in Larchwood where Norma joined the English Lutheran Church. She and Don enjoyed bingo and other community activities and events. They had been married 14 years at the time of Don’s death in 1999. Norma continued to live in Larchwood until moving to Red Oak in 2002.

Norma was preceded in death by her parents; husbands Oscar Palmer and Don Ashton; son Oscar Palmer, Jr; daughter Nora Jane Regan; brother Orville Rowe and half-brother Louis St. Pierre; and half-sisters Adelia Clark and Vivian Etta.

Norma is survived by her daughters, Thelma Kent and her husband Orville of Clarinda, Iowa, Norma Jean Hackett and her husband Richard of Omaha, Neb., Janet Hainline and her husband Bob of Henderson, Iowa, Martha Mundorf and her husband Ron of Griswold, Iowa; half-sisters Nellie O’Connor of Sioux Falls, S.D., Azelda Henderson of Hampton, Neb., Velma Petit of St. Paul, Minn., and Lillian Koehn of Denver, Colo; 13 grandchildren, 29 great grandchildren, and six great great-grandchildren.

Hertz Funeral Home in Malvern was in charge of arrangements.