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Obituary for Thema B. Norman
The Norman family wishes to announce the passing of their mother, Thema B. Norman. She passed easily in her sleep, in her own bed, at her daughter’s house in Fairfield. Thema lived 101 years, one month and one day. Thema was born Sept. 12, 1915, in a log cabin in Montgomery County, Arkansas. She had a happy childhood and often spoke lovingly of her two grandmothers. When she was a teenager, she met Jeff Norman, and on Aug. 4, 1935, at the age of 19, she and Jeff eloped. They spent the first years of their marriage in Arkansas and Texas caring for their four children; two daughters and two sons. After a fire in Texas where the family lost everything (including Grandma’s quilts), they decided to move to Vacaville, California, June 9, 1949. While in Vacaville, they had two more sons. Jeff and Thema both worked at Basic Vegetable. After 19 years at Basic Vegetable, Thema stayed home, caring for her family and grandchildren and worked on crafts such as crochet, quilts and prize winning hooked rugs. She also wrote poetry, filling many books with delightful poems about life and the things she loved. She and Jeff were married 65 years. He passed away Nov. 26, 2000. Thema continued to live at the same house on Callen Street for about 60 years. As a Solano County resident for 67 years, Thema attended the Solano County Centenarian Celebration held by the Solano County Board of Supervisors in Fairfield on Sept. 13, of this year, where she amused attendees by reciting the alphabet backwards at the age of 101. Thema’s six children survive including (listed in order of birth), Erma J. Chenvert, of Fairfield, Melvin Melloy Norman, of Coolidge, Texas, Billy Norman, of Vacaville, Anita Young, of Ruston, Louisiana, Lynn Norman, of Vacaville and Elvin Norman, of Sacramento; she also leaves, 22 grandchildren; 48 great-grandchildren; 30 great- great-grandchildren; and 3 great-great-great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband, Melvin C. (Jeff); and grandson, Alan Norman. Visitation will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2016, with memorial service at 11 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 20, 2016, at McCune Garden Chapel, 212 Main St., Vacaville. She will be cremated and laid to rest next to Jeff in the Vacaville Cemetery at a future date. In lieu of flowers, the family requests contributions be made to donor’s favorite charity in Thema’s name.
