Norma Lee Yantzie, age 89, peacefully passed away on December 28, 2020 at Brookstone View in Broken Bow, Nebraska.
Memorial Services will be held Monday, January 4, 2021 at 10:00am at The Church of God in Broken Bow, Nebraska with Doug Saner officiating. The service will be livestreamed at www.govierbrothers.com. Inurnment will be at the Broken Bow Cemetery with Govier Brothers Mortuary in charge of arrangements. An online guest book may be signed for words of encouragement or remembrance at www.govierbrothers.com.
Memorials are suggested to The Church of God in Broken Bow, NE or Carolyn Scott Rainbow House in Omaha, NE. A visitation will be held on Sunday, January 3rd from 3:00 to 5:00 pm at Govier Brothers Mortuary in Broken Bow.
Norma was born February 27, 1931 in Sargent, Nebraska to Rudolf and Ellen (Kamarad) Lorenzen. She attended and graduated from Sargent High School. Following graduation Norma moved to Broken Bow and worked as a nurse’s aide at Dr. Carothers Hospital where she would meet her future husband Earl Yantzie while he was visiting a patient.
On December 24, 1950, Norma and Earl R. Yantzie were married in Broken Bow, NE. The couple moved to Omaha, Nebraska where Norma worked at the Kellogg Cereal Factory. In 1952, Pat, the first of their three children were born. The couple returned to central Nebraska, moving to Arnold, Nebraska for a short while.
Norma accepted Christ after moving back to Arnold. She was a member of the Mennonite Church until its closing, at which she then attended the Church of God.
In 1954, her family moved back to Broken Bow where the next two children would be born, Mike in 1955 and Cheryl in 1958.
After all, three children were in school, Norma went to work at Broken Bow Floral. Through the rest of her live she would continue share beautiful arrangements, ensuring the church was seasonally decorated, corsages and bouquets for her children and grandchildren’s events and even hundreds of May baskets constructed each year.
Norma would share her love of cooking with thousands of people over the years. As the head cook for Broken Bow Schools for 33 years until her retirement, many students will remember the kindness and love that was served along with their meal. Norma’s personal kitchen was always open whenever you might need a friendly chat or home cooked meal. You only needed to “call in your potato”, but drop-ins were always welcome too.
Norma was never one to sit still and her embroidery was always close to her chair. She loved attending her grandchildren’s events and after retirement was a regular volunteer at the Community Connection.
She is survived by her three children Pat (Tom) Hamilton of Ennis, Montana, Mike Yantzie and special friend Sheila Peters of Taylor, Nebraska, and Cheryl (Mike) Moody of Purdum, Nebraska; sister Erma Jean Kroeger of Grand Island, Nebraska; sister-in-law Marian Birnie of Broken Bow, Nebraska, sister-in-law Lue Yantzie of Kansas; her grandchildren: Shannon Hamilton, Lacy Wood, Mindy Dorsey, Melissa Wells, Lacy Johnson, Jeff Pflaster, Jared Pflaster, Hollie Moody, and Jack Moody; 15 great grandchildren and 2 great-great grandchildren, and a host of nieces and nephews.
Norma was preceded in death by her husband Earl and parents Rudolf and Ellen Lorenzen.