Norma Irene (Johnsen) BRIGHTON

BRIGHTON, JOHNSEN, EVANS, BREBNER, NEDVED, BRIGHTON-BREBNER

Posted By: Sarah Thorson Little (email)
Date: 5/4/2014 at 12:54:15

April 14, 1928 --- April 23, 2014

Norma Brighton, age 86, of Newell, Iowa, passed away on Wednesday, April 23, 2014, at North Lake Manor in Storm Lake, Iowa.

Norma Irene Brighton was born on April 14, 1928, in rural Newell, Iowa, the daughter of Martin and Nora (Evans) Johnsen. She graduated from Newell High School in 1947. Before she married, she worked in the dime store and the bank in Newell. On April 20, 1958, she married Reverend George Brighton. Three children were born to this union, David, Marcia, and Mark. A stay-at-home mom, Norma attended all of her children’s school activities. Very active in the Methodist Church, she happily did everything expected of the minister’s wife. She enjoyed spending family vacations at the cottage at Lake Okoboji. She delighted in her grandchildren and all of their activities. She absolutely loved lunches with her cousins. She tirelessly took care of her aging parents and her husband during his long battle with Parkinson’s disease. A Minnesota Twins’ fan, she loved watching baseball, basketball, and football.

In her years as a minister’s wife, Norma packed up the house and moved many times. Together, George and Norma served the following churches: Varina, Albert City, Thornton, Swaledale, South Marion (rural Stratford), Stanhope, Kamrar, Klemme, Liberty (rural Klemme), Lake View, Wall Lake, Graettinger, Livermore, and LuVerne. In the process, she made many lifelong friendships.

Norma was preceded in death by her husband, George; her parents; her son-in-law, Jeff Brebner; nine brothers-in-law: James, Stanley, Willis, Thomas, Chester, Ralph, Melvin, and two who died as children, Albert and John; and three sisters-in-law, Alberta, Kathleen, and Marjorie. She is survived by her children, David (Becky) Brighton, of Fort Dodge, Marcia Brighton-Brebner, of Newell, and Mark Brighton, of Cleghorn; six grandchildren: Kolin (Nicole) Brighton, of Cedar Rapids, Valerea Brebner of Fort Dodge, Katie Brighton, of Marion, Zachary Brebner, of Newell, Laura Brighton, of Hinton, and Kyle Brighton, of Hinton; and her sister-in-law, Beverly (Ray) Nedved, of Mason City; as well as by many nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.

Visitation: 6:00-8:00 p.m., April 27, 2014, at the Fratzke & Jensen Funeral Home in Storm Lake.
Funeral Service: 10:30 a.m. April 28, 2014, at the United Methodist Church in Varina, Iowa.
Interment: April 28, 2014, at the Newell Cemetery in Newell, Iowa.

Fratzke & Jensen Funeral Homes
http://www.fratzkejensen.com/obit-display.php?rec_id=811