Obituary of Norma Jean Bell Orscheln

Norma Jean Bell Orscheln, 89, passed away December 7, 2018, at home in Horn Lake, MS. She was born May 21, 1929 in Carrollton, MO to Elbert and Bessie Bell. On February 2, 1948, she married the love of her life, Gene, who preceded her in death earlier this year. She leaves one son, Gary (Sheryl) Orscheln of Columbia, MO; two daughters, Angeline (Terry) Calvert of Horn Lake, MS and Linda (JC) Willingham of Willard, MO; 5 grandsons, Christian (Christina) Willingham, Sean (Rhonda) Calvert, Eric (Belle) Orscheln, Brent (Stacy) Calvert, Brian (Alfonso) Willingham; three granddaughters, Shannon (Curt) Mayo, Callie (Jerry) Presley and Emily (Dustin) Rowland; Jennifer, widow of Karl Orscheln; 20 great- grandchildren; and 2 great- great- grandchildren. Norma loved butterflies, hummingbirds, sunrises and sunsets. She enjoyed nature, working in the yard and with her rose bushes. As a wonderful wife and mother, she took great pleasure in providing a loving home for her family. Once, when asked why she went to such great lengths to set a table, make wonderful meals that so many would reserve for company and even taking the time to wrap each Christmas present uniquely, her reply was, “Why would I treat company better than my own family.” We could all take a note from that book. She would often fry chicken and prepare a wonderful picnic for drives to see the spring flowers or fall leaves. Backyard BBQ’s with hand cranked ice cream (the cooked kind, nothing was too good for the family). Badminton and croquet were such a pleasure to her. Norma was very active in the Alter Society, PTA and everything her children were involved in. Norma loved music and dancing. Joyously she has reached the ultimate healing and will once again be dancing the night away with her beloved Gene in heaven. A memorial visitation celebrating Norma’s life will be held on Saturday, December 29, 2018 from 10:00 a.m. until 12:00 noon at Pathway Memorial Funeral Home. Final commendation will take place at 12:00 noon followed by inurnment at St. Mary’s cemetery. In lieu of flowers, Norma asked for memorial contributions to be made to LED Lighting, Christ the King Catholic Church, 785 Church Rd. West, Southaven, MS 38671 or to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital c/o Memorials Processing, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105-9959 (stjude.org).