Norma Thompson, 88, passed away peacefully at the home of her youngest daughter, Donna, on 20 May 2021 after a brief battle with cancer.  She resided in Yakima, Washington for over 35 years.  For the past three years, she has enjoyed the companionship and care of Donna (and Kirby) Brown, at their home in Leavenworth, Kansas.

She was born on 14 August 1932 in Perkins, West Virginia to S. Wise and Tressa (Grammy) Moore.  Norma grew up in Oberlin, Ohio. She graduated from Oberlin High School in the Class of 1949. After high school she attended Oberlin College.  She left college just short of completing her degree to marry her husband who was in the US Army.  Norma married Donald Edward Thompson on August 14, 1952 at Fort Benning, Georgia. They were happily married for 66 years.

As the wife of an Army Officer, Norma moved her family to each new location where Donald was assigned.  She moved to Alaska in the middle of winter just after it had become a state.  Further assignments were in Georgia, South Carolina, Colorado Springs, Yakima and Fort Lewis, Washington.  Don served in Vietnam four times and Norma took care of her son and three daughters by herself - twice for almost a year.  Norma was a volunteer and employee of the American Red Cross for over 50 years.  As a volunteer with the ARC, she served as a fundraiser, office worker, organizer and disaster responder.  As an employee, she spent over a year in Guam, Puerto Rico and San Francisco as Financial Manager in the response for natural disasters.  For Hurricane Katrina, she was the overall Financial Manager for the ARC, spending several months in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.  She served as the Bookkeeper for the Yakima Baptist Church for several years.  She was active in the Girl Scout program for many years.  She even signed on to the Research Vessel Redoubt as their cook for several trips to Alaska.  While living in Selah, Washington, she was a member of the Wenas Saddle Club, adopted a kindergarten class in Yakima, and is remembered by so many people for her quilts. She sewed quilts for her children, their spouses, her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.  She was constantly creating quilts to give to friends and neighbors and loved sharing her passion for quilting with others. Norma began water aerobics in her 60s, as her favorite form of exercise she could be found in the pool 2 to 3 days a week.  Even two weeks before her death, she was at the pool, exercising and talking with friends.

Norma she is survived by her son Michael (wife Jeanie) Thompson of Maple Valley, Washington; her daughters Shelly Butterfield of Tacoma, Washington, Laura (husband Jeff) Weinfurtner of Spokane, Washington and Donna (husband Kirby) Brown of Leavenworth, Kansas; her grandchildren: Summer, Brett, Jason, John, Camden, David and Mallory; her great grandchildren: Sierra, Adrian, Charlie, Benjamin, Hayden, Kennedy, Kynleigh, Olivia, and her great-great grandchildren: Sonia, Liam, Laila and Cameron.

Norma was preceded in death by her husband, Donald (Tommy), her parents, Salathial Wise and Tressa Moore of Oberlin, Ohio, and her siblings, S. Wise Moore Jr, Larry Moore, Elsie Balogh, and Connie Kudella.

A funeral service will be held at the Tahoma National Cemetery at on June 3rd. As the wife of an Army Veteran, she will be buried by his side.

In lieu of flowers the family requests memorial donations be made to The American Red Cross (www.redcross.org/donate). Condolences may be left on Norma Thompson's online guest book at Davis Funeral Chapel of Leavenworth, Kansas (www.davisfuneralchapelinc.com)