Norma passed from this life under the care of hospice on October 12. Norma is survived by her loving daughter, Robin Thompson, and two grandchildren, Christy and Seth Wielosinksi; her cherished nephew Donald Clark and his wife Donna, and her devoted niece Linda Germeraad
and her husband Bob, as well as beloved great nieces and nephews. Norma was preceded in death by her son, Craig Thompson and daughter, Pamela (Baker), her brother Harold Maynard, and sister Kathleen Clark, and by parents Samuel and Maggie Maynard. Norma lost her first
husband and love of her life, Joe Baker, just a few years after their marriage in 1957.

Friends can pay their respects and visit with Norma's family on Thursday, October 20, 2022 at Schroeder-Lauer Funeral Home, 3227 Ridge Road, Lansing, IL from 9:00 AM to 12:PM, with a service immediately following. Norma will be laid to rest at Oak Ridge Cemetery in Lansing, IL.

Norma was born in Estill Fork, AL and enjoyed her childhood there until "daddy" moved the family north to Hegewisch, IL to find work at the steel mills. She talked fondly of her school days there as the popular girl from the south. Norma worked all of her adult life and was proud of her job as a payroll clerk for the food services industry in downtown Chicago. She took the train in Homewood early in the mornings and came home exhausted in the evenings; however, she never failed to prepare a delicious hot meal for her family every night. The only exception was on paydays when she would pick up an Aurelio's pizza in Homewood as a treat for the family. She was still telling visitors to "order us a pizza, and I'll pay for it" even when she could no longer enjoy one herself. Norma worked as a store clerk at most of her jobs, including Cam Golf in Lansing and Orland Park, and her last place of employment, Sears Hardware in Schererville, where they considered her their best worker and begged her to come back when she retired at age 75 after losing her son. Norma was known for her wonderful cooking, and love for feeding people. She was often found pouring through food magazines for recipes and recreating dishes that she had in restaurants – southern fried porkchops, chicken pot pies, French onion soup, succulent roasts, moist cakes, and the best hamburgers with caramelized onions around – there was nothing she couldn't and didn't make.

Friends, family, coworkers, and even the occasional service worker were the happy recipients of her delicious food. On Valentines Day, Norma always made the rounds with plates of beautifully decorated cupcakes that were as pleasing on the eyes as they were on the tastebuds. She believed food was a full sensory experience and that presentation was as important as taste. One of the many meals she delivered to her grandchildren on her way to her job at Sears Hardware was Italian beef sandwiches and fries, the latter carefully nestled in white paper and tucked inside a paper cup. More than one family dog helped himself to one of those sandwiches over the years, as well as her pecan and coconut cream pies at holiday dinners. She wasn't happy when that happened, but only playfully scolded the dogs afterwards. Country music could always be heard throughout Norma's house on weekends, and that, along with old time gospel, brought her much happiness throughout her life. She loved Autumn and decorating her house with all the fall colors.

The cheery sunflower was her favorite flower – inside and out. She also loved Halloween, which brought out her mischievous side of donning a frightening mask and sneaking up on unsuspecting relatives. She was a constant reader of fiction, and rarely without a book, and an avid crossword puzzle worker, and later on, sudoku. Besides her grandchildren, Norma's greatest loves were her cats. She continued to ask about them up to the last days of her life and was always reassured that they were being loved and spoiled by her granddaughter Christy. While Norma suffered notable heartbreak and physical pain throughout her life, she, like all the women in her family, stayed strong and found joy in the simple things. Today, she is no longer in pain, and her family will forever cherish the happy memories she leaves behind.