Obituary of Norma I. Bandel

Norma's service will be a public service just respect the social distancing and other proper protocol during these uncertain time. Service information will be listed below. We will be live streaming her service on our Love Funeral Home Facebook page Tuesday, June 2, 2020 at 11:00 am. There is no link on our page the video will pop up when I go live with the service. Norma Ilene Johnson Bandel was born February 25, 1935 to Elmer and Viola Neelly Johnson in Hopewell, Kansas. Her early school days were in Ingalls, Kansas. She participated in 4H when the Johnson family moved to Agra, Kansas. She graduated from Agra High School in 1953 where she was active as a vocal soloist, participated in choir, glee club, band and Girl’s Trio. Norma attended Fort Hays State College where she received her two-year teacher’s certificate. She taught 3rd grade in Phillipsburg, Kansas after receiving her certificate. It was at Fort Hays State where she met the love of her life, Albert Bandel of St. Francis, Kansas. She took instruction and was baptized into the Lutheran Church in preparation for her marriage to Al. They were married June 10, 1956 at Zion American Lutheran Church in Phillipsburg, Kansas. After they married, she taught in a rural school near Hays until daughter Sonya was born in 1957. The family then moved to Rexford, Kansas for Al’s first teaching job. During their time in Rexford, daughter Teresa was born in 1959 and son Jerry in 1962. In 1964, the family moved to Burlington and into the new home Al built. Soon, son Larry was born. Norma was a homemaker, substitute teacher and bridge player extraordinaire. In 1974, she joined Al in opening their own business, Burlington Home Center. In 1975, Norma and Al bought acreage north of Burlington and began planning their dream home. In 1988, they moved into that home built for all their children and grandchildren to visit. Norma was an accomplished painter, knitter and seamstress. She taught others to paint for years and filled her home with original art pieces. She was a Sunday School teacher, bible study leader and grief support minister. She participated in civic women’s groups in Burlington for many years. After Al’s passing, Norma set herself to doing something that would help her through the grieving process and help others. Her project was to knit baby sweaters for infants in need in Denver. She tallied 150+ baby sweater sets sent to the Labor and Delivery Unit at Denver Health. The hospital wrote in thank you notes that sometimes these beautiful sets were the first and only thing the baby had when leaving the hospital. Norma claimed the promise of her baptism on May 26, 2020. She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, son, Larry, brother Gayle and brother Merlyn. She leaves to mourn her: daughter Sonya Bandel-Rath and husband Stephen Rath, children: Michal and Stephen Music, Andrew and Jordan; daughter Teresa Bandel-Schott, her husband Kevin Schott, children: Neelly and Hilliary; son Jerry and wife Denise, children: Jared and Alyssa ‘Woo’; sister Velda Christy and family, sister Dolores Robb and family, brother Norman Johnson and family, sister-in-law Bonnie Johnson and family, as well as many cousins, nieces, nephews, and extended family. Memorials may be made in Norma's name it will go to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Good Gifts Ministry to provide goats, chicks, piglets, heifers, fish and other livestock for family businesses in 80 countries around the world and may be left at or sent to Love Funeral Home, 377 15th Street, Burlington, Colorado 80807.