Sandra Leah Norman

Sandra Leah Norman, born July 5, 1946, in Cook, Minnesota, passed away peacefully on June 21, 2025, surrounded by family and love. She was the youngest of ten children born to Oscar Felix LeMoine and Elsie Marie Lindbeck and blazed a trail from her earliest days-becoming the first in her family to be born in a hospital. Sandra was a woman of deep resilience, boundless heart, and remarkable energy. For over 40 years, she worked side by side with her beloved husband, Karl Ray Norman, raising their five children, assisting with their many business ventures, and clerking auctions across Minnesota. Their partnership was not just professional but deeply personal-rooted in faith, hard work, and devotion to family. Sandra lived with strength and grace, defining her life through service, creativity, and joy. She was a masterful cook who hosted gatherings for hundreds and a devoted gardener who canned her own vegetables with care. Her children especially treasured her canned wax beans and tomatoes. She picked countless wild berries-often turning them into jams and desserts shared with love. Her creative spirit flowed through every stitch and stroke: sewing, crocheting and ceramics filled her home with beauty. She was also a world traveler with an adventurous soul. In 1984, she visited Rotary families in South Africa for four weeks, and in 1987, she brought her entire family to Australia and New Zealand for a month-experiences that reflected her openness to new cultures and her determination to share the world with her children. She danced on tables in Europe and soaked in the sun on beaches wherever she found them, always working on the perfect tan. Each December, she packed her family into a motorhome and set off for Florida, where they made cherished memories at Disney World and beaches.  

Sandra was a quiet anchor, a joyful spirit, and a fierce protector of her children: Thomas, James, Jason, and Jessica, who survive her and carry her strength forward. Her sisters Zona and Karen also survive her, along with numerous nieces, nephews, and grandchildren who will forever hold her memory close. 

She is preceded in death by her husband and love of her life, Karl and her son, Shawn, her parents and siblings: Clifford, Shirley, Erlene, James, Richard, Rodney and Gloria. She loved red roses and heartfelt ballads. Elvis's "Precious Lord" gave her comfort, and she often lived by the words. Dwight Yoakam's "Fast as You" made her dance, and "Unchained Melody" reminded her that love never truly leaves us.

 Visitation will be held Friday, July 11, 5:00-7:00 pm with a 6:30pm Wake Service in Dougherty Funeral Home. Visitation will continue on Saturday July 12, 2025 from 10am until the 11am Funeral Mass in St. Michael’s Catholic Church. Luncheon to follow, featuring Sandra's requested menu of roast beef. The burial will be Tuesday, July 15, 10:00 a.m. at Calvary Cemetery. She leaves this world having loved deeply and been deeply loved. "Well done, good and faithful servant... Enter into the joy of your Lord." Matthew 25:23