Norma Jean Burgess peacefully crossed the veil on September 28, 2024. Norma was born on August 9, 1935 to Earl T. and Gladys E. (Powell) Marr in Yakima, Washington. She was good friends with Fenton and Lois Burgess and often babysat their children. Fenton and Lois encouraged her to write to his brother, Mack Emett Burgess, who was stationed in Korea in the Marine Corp. After receiving his first letter, she knew he was the man for her. He returned to the States, and they became engaged that first night. Three months later they were married in the Cardston, Alberta temple and made their home in Bremerton.
Mack and Norma moved to Montana in 1958 to turn sod on land between Simms and Cascade. They lived with their family and built a four-room house with no running water or electricity. When the land was sold, they moved to Great Falls where her husband began trucking. They lived on the southwest side of Great Falls and were one of the families to live through the flood of 1964 when their home had five feet of water in it. They then moved to downtown Great Falls and eventually to Simms to start a ranch.
She designed their 6-bedroom log home and loved the ranch of 3,200 acres where they raised 500 head of cattle and had a ½ acre garden which she tended and harvested. She learned how to ride a horse and became quite a cowgirl going on cattle drives and packing into the mountains several times.
After seven years they downsized and moved to Sun Prairie on 25 acres. Norma cultivated huge flower gardens and a vegetable garden. She was always busy cleaning, tending horses, canning, freezing and gardening among other pursuits. In 2008, they downsized again and moved to Great Falls to live with their oldest daughter, Denice, until Mack’s death in September of 2022. After his death her grand-daughter and husband, Alexis and Jace Hodgson, took care of her until June of 2024 when she moved to The Lodge and lived with her daughter, Renae, who also took care of her and was with her when she passed.
Mack and Norma were called to a mission in Browning, Montana to open the branch in 1983. This calling was their great love. They became friends with many and still have ties to that community. They were both adopted into the Blackfeet Tribe by George Kickingwoman and were sponsored by Earl and Rita Spotted Eagle. Her given Blackfeet name was Good Leader Woman.
Norma was an accomplished musician and choir director. She loved directing choirs leading many church choirs. She taught many, many people to sing and perform. Anyone who had
experience with her soon found out what a perfectionist she was. She taught all her children to sing and play the piano to varying degrees. She loved to sing and her family sang in the car almost nonstop.
Mack and Norma had seven children. Two of them died in infancy and one was adopted. She leaves Denice (Bruce) Mills of Great Falls, MT, Nanette (Bill) Hjelm of Heber, UT, Renae Burgess of Great Falls, MT, Stan (Jamie) Burgess of Nome, AK, and Merlin Middlerider of Heart Butte, MT. She also leaves many grandchildren and great-grandchildren, three sisters, Rella Morlan (Dale Lockwood), Zella Moran, and Arla (Arlin) Kohler, as well as two brothers-in-law, Fenton (Indra) Burgess and Theron (Barbara) Burgess.
To read the complete obituary and share condolences, click here to visit the Croxford Funeral Home website.
