1932
Norma
2019
Norma Jean Tormey (Burrell)
January 14, 1932 — December 5, 2019
Norma Jean (Burrell) Tormey
1932 – 2019
“Just another day in paradise.” is what Norma Tormey was fond of saying. She grew up in the Wood River Valley and never lost her sense of reverence for the grandeur and beauty of her Idaho home. Norma was a delight to all who knew her, a loving mother, grandmother, sister and friend.
She was a certified Master Gardener, could call your attention to the beauty of a flower, identify its Latin name, point out the intricacies of its structure and remark poetically on its uniqueness. She shared her passion for gardening as a volunteer at the Sawtooth Botanical Garden in its early days.
Norma also studied liberal arts, loved poetry, literature, music and theater and spent time volunteering at the Sun Valley Center for the Arts. She had a sophisticated eye for design and earned her degree in Interior Design from Northern VA Community College in 1981. She used her talents to create a beautiful family home in Hailey where she welcomed loved ones, entertaining them with her elegant style, quick wit and charming sense of humor.
Norma was born in Nampa, Idaho to Kenneth and Blanche (Little) Burrell, and moved to Hailey before her first birthday in 1932. She graduated from Hailey High School with the class of 1950.
She met her husband, William F. Tormey Jr., in Boise, Idaho while he was stationed at Mt. Home Air Force Base. They married in 1953 in St. Charles’ Catholic Church in Hailey and began a military life of travel and adventure as they raised their five children together: Kathleen Tormey (Purcellville, VA), Mary Kaiser (Hailey, ID), William Tormey III, (Shoshone, ID), Alicia Tormey, (Seattle, WA), and John Tormey, (Ketchum, ID). She played a loving and influential role in the lives of her 7 grandchildren: Caitlin, Karen, David, Rudi, Karel, Cristalle, and Jennifer, who continue to adore her.
Life and travels took her to far off places, but she was an Idaho girl at heart and returned to Hailey in 1981. She is preceded in death by her husband, parents, brother Marvin Burrell (Hailey, ID), and sister Charlene Kvaternick (Colorado Springs, CO). In addition to her children and grandchildren, she is survived by brothers Dean Burrell (Apple Valley, CA), Kenneth Charles (K.C.) Burrell (Belleview, ID), Gerry Burrell (Hailey, ID), and sister, Cheri Rosseler, (Twin Falls, ID).
Remembrances in her honor can be presented to the Sawtooth Botanical Garden Center or the Sun Valley Center for the Arts.
1932 – 2019
“Just another day in paradise.” is what Norma Tormey was fond of saying. She grew up in the Wood River Valley and never lost her sense of reverence for the grandeur and beauty of her Idaho home. Norma was a delight to all who knew her, a loving mother, grandmother, sister and friend.
She was a certified Master Gardener, could call your attention to the beauty of a flower, identify its Latin name, point out the intricacies of its structure and remark poetically on its uniqueness. She shared her passion for gardening as a volunteer at the Sawtooth Botanical Garden in its early days.
Norma also studied liberal arts, loved poetry, literature, music and theater and spent time volunteering at the Sun Valley Center for the Arts. She had a sophisticated eye for design and earned her degree in Interior Design from Northern VA Community College in 1981. She used her talents to create a beautiful family home in Hailey where she welcomed loved ones, entertaining them with her elegant style, quick wit and charming sense of humor.
Norma was born in Nampa, Idaho to Kenneth and Blanche (Little) Burrell, and moved to Hailey before her first birthday in 1932. She graduated from Hailey High School with the class of 1950.
She met her husband, William F. Tormey Jr., in Boise, Idaho while he was stationed at Mt. Home Air Force Base. They married in 1953 in St. Charles’ Catholic Church in Hailey and began a military life of travel and adventure as they raised their five children together: Kathleen Tormey (Purcellville, VA), Mary Kaiser (Hailey, ID), William Tormey III, (Shoshone, ID), Alicia Tormey, (Seattle, WA), and John Tormey, (Ketchum, ID). She played a loving and influential role in the lives of her 7 grandchildren: Caitlin, Karen, David, Rudi, Karel, Cristalle, and Jennifer, who continue to adore her.
Life and travels took her to far off places, but she was an Idaho girl at heart and returned to Hailey in 1981. She is preceded in death by her husband, parents, brother Marvin Burrell (Hailey, ID), and sister Charlene Kvaternick (Colorado Springs, CO). In addition to her children and grandchildren, she is survived by brothers Dean Burrell (Apple Valley, CA), Kenneth Charles (K.C.) Burrell (Belleview, ID), Gerry Burrell (Hailey, ID), and sister, Cheri Rosseler, (Twin Falls, ID).
Remembrances in her honor can be presented to the Sawtooth Botanical Garden Center or the Sun Valley Center for the Arts.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Norma Jean Tormey (Burrell), please visit our flower store.
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