Norma Lea Wrage

Norma Lea (Frerichs) Wrage, surrounded by her loving family, went home to be with her Heavenly Father on August 12, 2024. Services will be held Monday, August 19 at 11:00 A.M. at Mitchell Funeral Home in Marshalltown with a visitation one hour prior beginning at 10:00 A.M. Memorials can be directed to the family for designation at a later time. At Norma’s request fans of the Chicago Cubs attending her service are encouraged to wear Chicago Cubs attire. Baseball fans of other teams are encouraged to wear Cubs attire as well! For questions or condolences, please visit www.mitchellfh.com. Ph. 641-844-1234.

Norma was born on April 24, 1936 in Ackley, IA-the third of Fred and Addie Frerich’s children. She joined sisters Adelyn and Freda, and two years later her baby brother Frederic (Tobe) joined the family. Norma attended country school as a child. At the end of her 5th grade school year her teacher determined she had paid attention to the lessons being taught to the class year older than her in that one room school. She skipped 6th grade and moved on to Junior High in Ackley the following fall.

Norma’s parents farmed, as well as owning the Ben Franklin Store. The family lived on a farm outside of Ackley. When her Dad retired from farming, he built a log cabin home in the country. In the wintertime she, Tobe and her parents lived in the apartment above their store. Spring through fall meant they lived in the log cabin. There they spent countless hours riding horses and fishing in the creek that ran through their land. Months living above the store were spent working in the store, roller-skating and going to school. She was a member of the Ackley High Marching and Pep Band, as well as a National Honor Society member.

Norma told many people she always knew all she ever wanted to be was a nurse. So, after high school graduation she enrolled at the School of Nursing in Marshalltown. One Sunday night, she and friends decided to go the dancehall in Janesville. That night a tall guy with a red flat top haircut walked up and asked her to dance. She said yes and would end up being married to that red head from Gladbrook for nearly 60 years.

After graduating as a Registered Nurse, she went to work for Dr. Robert Hansen. Later when Rog was drafted to serve his country in the Army, she took a second job, working as a RN at the Marshalltown Hospital. Walking to and from work as not to spend too much money on gas!

Norma and Roger made Marshalltown their home. They raised both of their children, Jeff and Joni, there. Rog spent most of his working career in manufacturing, and Norma worked as a Registered Nurse, the majority of her time at Marshalltown Hospital, for over 50 years.

Life with Rog and her kids took her down many roads. Assistant carpenter when they took up buying fix ‘em upper houses and making them rental properties. Being the best cook ever. Taxi driver for her kids, as well as the neighborhood kids. The one that broke the ‘bad news’ to Dad for her kids. Junior Choir Director and Sunday School teacher at church. Chief Weather Watcher and Worrier. Volunteer babysitter when a co-worker needed one. First one many went to for advice. PTA volunteer. Keeper of many, many pets when the promise her kids made to always take care of them didn’t quite pan out. Nobody could iron a pleat straighter than she could. Her kid’s friends became like kids of her own. Everyone was welcome at the Nevada St. house. As those kids grew up and became adults many of them would stop and visit when back in town.

Norma always put others first, always wanting to help when she could. As her kids were growing up, she worked the 11P-8A shift so one of the parents would always be home for them. Later on, when she went to work days she would arrive hours early to get the day set up for staff, and stay until the last patient felt well enough to go home.

On their 25th Anniversary they purchased a weekend home at Lake Ponderosa. Later on, the mobile home was replaced with a house. Countless hours were spent at the lake gardening, boating, and most importantly, spending time with her family and friends there. Her many gardens were absolutely beautiful. Everyone was always Welcome, and everyone there became part of the extended family. Many lake days ended with a ‘spirited’ game of UNO. Norma was known to attempt to ‘bend’ the rules of UNO occasionally - Ok A LOT. Rog and Derek were always quick to point out her “error.” All in good fun and made for a lot of laughs. Lake stories could be told for hours and hours, although her kids are ok with some of them never being retold. After retirement Norma and Rog would live at the lake house from Easter to Halloween. It truly was her Happy Place.

While being a nurse is what she always wanted to do, there is NO doubt her favorite role ever was being a grandmother. No little boy and his Grandma were ever closer than she and Derek. They would spend countless hours walking to the top of the 18th Ave viaduct and try to get train engineers to blow the train horn, walk to the neighborhood creek and play Pooh Sticks, then off to the little store for a treat. She also learned things a Grandma needs to know while playing with sports figurines, like what a linebacker was, and why lefthanders cannot play catcher in baseball. As Derek got older and began to play sports his Grandparents were always there. No matter how many miles it took his biggest fans were always there. Norma’s gameday roles were to cheer for Derek and his teammates and to elbow Rog in the side when he was getting a little vocal analyzing an umpire’s job that day. She was incredibly proud of him and everything he accomplished.

She loved visits from her Great Granddaughters Anna, Brittany, and Carly. The pictures they would draw for her went on display in her kitchen and hung until the next ones were delivered. They too got to experience her very unique style of UNO playing. Brittany was always very quick to point out an ‘error’, then telling her Great Grandma it was ok.

Time stands still for nobody, including Norma. She moved to Newton Village Senior Living to be close to family. Less than a year after moving there the Covid Lock Down happened. She spent a year in her apartment alone, no outside visitors allowed. Lots of through the window phone calls helped. Always determined and focused she taught herself how to text on her flip phone during this time. Both of her kids were shocked to look at the screen of their phones to see TEXT FROM MOM. She loved watching her beloved Chicago Cubs during the baseball season, (One night while listening to a game she heard Cubs Broadcaster Pat Hughes wish her a Happy Birthday!) the Hawkeyes in fall and winter, and the Decorah Eagles nest cam in the early spring.

Norma battled through numerous health issues over the years. So many times, things seemed dire, but that never ending determination would kick in and she would refuse not to get well.

She loved so many people. Never forgot a name or a story of how she met people, or a life story of theirs. She told her kids she never ever wanted anyone to hurt or to be without. She dedicated her life to seeing nobody did.

Norma is preceded in death by her beloved husband Rog, her parents Fred and Addie, sisters Addlyn (Ervin), Freda (Kenneth), and her Wrage Family Brothers and Sisters in Law. She is survived by her brother Tobe (Donetta) children Jeff (Penny), and Joni, Grandchildren Derek and Tammy, and Great Grandchildren Anna, Brittany, and Carly.

- Lovingly written by the family

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