Obituary of Norma Moore

Norma Jean (Murphy) Moore was born in Flagler, CO on June 15, 1927 to Lelan and Opal Murphy. She grew up in Denver, CO and lived there until 1934. At that time she moved with her mother and sister, Ina Lou to Flagler. While her mother completed her college education, Norma Jean and Ina Lou lived with their grandparents, Walt and Ina Conarty and attended school at Second Central School. Later they moved to Stratton, CO and from there to Greeley, CO where her mother taught school. In December of 1941 her mother was united in marriage to Elmer I. Joy. They moved to Flagler where her mother continued teaching. Norma Jean entered the Flagler High School as a sophomore and graduated from Flagler in 1945. After attending the University of Northern Colorado that summer, she accepted a teaching position at the Rock Cliff school south of Seibert where she taught grades one through eight for two years. On August 20, 1945 she was united in marriage to Paul E. Moore. To this union three children were born. Theodore (Ted) Lee Moore, Rhonda Kay Laue and Debra Lou Gustin. While Norma Jean taught school, Paul enjoyed farming with his father northeast of Flagler. In 1948 Paul and Norma Jean moved to Flagler. She worked for a time at the Winterowd’s Market and then for Edmund Smith at Smith’s Service. In 1961 Norma Jean was asked by some parents if she would teach private kindergarten in her home since there was no kindergarten in the school. Paul and Norma Jean made their breezeway room into a kindergarten room and for four years she taught several children. In 1965 she was hired as a teacher’s aide and librarian in the Flagler school. She worked for the school 27 years with most of that time spent in the library. She retired in May of 1992. After she and Paul retired they spent three of the winter months each year in Apache Junction, AZ where they met many new friends. Norma Jean accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior in 1942 and was baptized in the First Christian Church in Greeley, when she was a freshman in high school. Later she and Paul became members of the First Congregational Church in Flagler. She enjoyed singing with the church choir for many years and was a member of the Crystal Rebekah Lodge. Norma Jean’s greatest love was for her Lord Jesus. She had a deep love for her husband Paul, her three children, their spouses, her nine grandchildren, twenty-six great-grandchildren and five great-great grandchildren. She always looked forward to the family gatherings for holidays, birthdays or just to get together for an unplanned meal and movie. She loved going to ballgames or any other activity her kids or grandkids and later great-grandkids were a part of. She enjoyed cooking, sewing, embroidering, gardening and traveling. Preceding her in death were her parents, her husband Paul, sister Ina Lou Trahern and husband Chuck, her son-in-law Lark Laue and her grandsons Jason Gustin and Rick Owen. Those who remain to celebrate her life are her son Ted Moore (Sandy), daughters Rhonda Laue, Debra Gustin (Don), Grandchildren Eli Moore (Suzanne), Eric Moore (Tandi), Paula Santala (Marc), Korena Powell (Cody), Nicholas Laue (Stacy), Andrew Gustin and Shalena Fox (Kyle). She was blessed with twenty-six great-grandchildren and five great-great grandchildren. Her greatest desire was for her family to come to know Jesus personally as she did. And the greatest gift that she left was her legacy of love.