November 23, 1946 - September 5, 2019
On a sunny morning day, Norma Jean Rasor passed away in her sleep at the North Island Hospital Comox Valley, September 5, 2019.
Norma was born in Denver, Colorado, was a 4H Club member, won the 1963 National "Little Britches" Rodeo Senior Pole Bending competition with her horse Trixy, and was the School Valedictorian. Her speech called "Builders" began with "All over the world a great amount of building has been done in the years since World War Two" and ended with "...so it is essential that world peace, democracies, and character be built on the bedrocks of freedom, brotherly love, and the golden rule." Norma lived and practiced her own words throughout her life.
She excelled in school; she listened and danced to rock & roll and country & western music; she loved her flower gardens; she was always ready to play games; she followed hockey every year; she watched westerns; she listened to what politicians had to say and she always cast her vote; she had multiple creative projects on the go; and she was always quick to smile and laugh.
Norma loved cars. When she had saved enough money, she asked her Dad to buy the 1954 green Bel-Air Chevy she had spotted for sale and bring it home for her - she then had to wait a year until she turned sixteen and could get her licence before she could drive it. Her favourite car was her 1959 Chevrolet Impala Sports Coupe; the Beetle, the Volvo, the Falcon, the Nova, the Duster, the Corolla were all fun, but that Sports Coupe was the one she loved best!
She married Jim Rasor in 1965, whom she had known since grade school, and immigrated with him and her son James in 1970 to Smithers, British Columbia, in their Ford Falcon van named Bombadil with their dog Sasha and their cat Galadriel. The family lived in two log cabins "off the grid" surrounded by mountains, snow, horses, dogs, and cats for several years before moving to Vancouver Island in 1974.
She worked at Georgia Boys Barbeque doing dishes, as carhop at Oscar's Drive-in, volunteered as a Candy Striper at the Fitzsimmons Army Hospital, worked as a Long-Distance Operator and Defence Communications Stenographer for Mountain States Telephone Company, and worked as a librarian at the University of Northern Colorado. In British Columbia she worked for Robinsons Store, Hudson Bay Company, and Overwaitea. She worked for Canada Safeway for over thirty years until she retired.
Family, friends, horses, and cats formed a big part of Norma's love of life. She always had a cat and she was a prolific writer of cards and letters to friends and family, of poetry and verse, and letters to editors. Keeping in touch with friends and family was important to her and her Christmas and birthday packages were legendary and a joy to open.
She cared. She loved. She was a fabulous, wonderful mom. She was a great friend. She truly kept the Spirit of Christmas all year. She believed in letting people live their lives and she believed in honesty.
Norma was predeceased by her parents, Josephine Shultz and Roland Shultz, and her sister Marilynn Jeremiasen. She is survived by her ex-husband Jim Rasor, her son James Rasor and his wife Jennifer Rasor, her brother Richard Shultz and his wife Bev Shultz, her sister Julie Reynolds, her cousin Carol Luzovich and her husband Gary Luzovitch, and her brother-in-law Bob Jeremiasen.
Per Norma`s wishes, no memorial service will be held, however, if you are able to do so, donations to the Comox Valley & District Branch of the BC SPCA in Norma Rasor's memory would be greatly appreciated.
Norma's favourite season was Spring and she loved flowers and she loved sunshine - if you are a gardener, plant some flowers for Norma during the spring seasons - she would like that!