Norma Clark

Norma Clark passed away March 7, 2014 of Alzheimers in a local assisted living facility.
Norma was born February 20, 1930 in Pocatello, ID to Pearl Smith Cook and John Franklin Cook and was the youngest of 8 children having 2 brothers and 5 sisters.
Norma and her family lived in the Fargo Apartments as a youngster and attended schools in Pocatello graduating from Pocatello High School in 1948 where she was in pep club. Her nickname in high school was 'Cookie'.
She married Jack T. Clark February 10, 1950 in Pocatello and together they raised 4 children Jan, Jeffery, Jill and Julie. They were later divorced after 21 years of marriage.
Norma was a caring mother who let her children find their own way to success in life. As a grandmother, Norma was a bit enigmatic. Her signature dishes were stuffed bell peppers and baked macaroni and cheese. Every morning she cooked herself two eggs. She always liked giraffes and dogs.
Norma worked at the Fargo Department Store in high school and after graduation with her sister Artella in the bookkeeping department. She also worked at Idaho First National Bank and then later the road and bridge department for Bannock County.
She left the County to work for Bucyrus Erie as a telephone operator where she met her lifelong friend Isabel Boomer. Norma worked several other jobs including Walker Engineering, later returning to work for the Bannock County Clerk's office from which she retired in 1994.
She enjoyed knitting, golf and napping. When her children were young she knitted all the children and herself sweaters and was very proud when a picture of them was in the newspaper. She enjoyed watching ice skating, Lawrence Welk, The Price is Right and golf on TV. Her grandchildren often wondered how she managed to watch ice skating all year without a DVR.
Norma had a cute wit which often caught others off guard. She was a petite woman who would sit quietly and wait for the right moment to interject a completely unexpected zinger. Strangers often did not know how to react to this sweet little woman who just told everyone where to go.
She showed fierce independence many times in life while raising children as a working single mother. Her daughters seem to have inherited this fiery streak. Her will to live in the end was surprising to everyone. She housed deeper pools of strength than anyone realized.
Norma was an active member of the LDS Church and belonged to the Cedar 1st Ward for a number of years and held various positions. For the last 2 years of her life she was a member of the Pocatello 53rd Branch while she resided at Emeritus Ridgewind.
Norma is survived by one sister Mary Artella (Bud) Ellis of Pocatello, 4 children Jan (Jay) Brummer, St George UT; Jeffery (Brenda) Clark, Pocatello; Jill (Rick) Thompson, Omaha, NE; and Julie (Lance) Buttars, Pocatello. Norma has 13 grandchildren and 25 great grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by both parents, 2 brothers, and 4 sisters.
Funeral services for Norma will be held at 1:00 p.m., Saturday, March 8, 2014 at Wilks Funeral Home, 211 W. Chubbuck Road. A viewing will be held one hour prior to the services at the funeral home. The interment will follow the services at Mountain View Cemetery.
Condolences may be sent to the family online at www.wilksfuneralhome.com.