Obituary for Norma Lee O'Neal
Norma Lee O’Neal 1930-2021
Services for Norma will be held February 6, 2021 at 2:00 p.m. at Greenlawn Funeral Home Southwest.
Norma Lee O’Neal passed away peacefully in the early hours of the morning on January 23, 2021 and entered the Kingdom of Heaven where her beloved Kenneth was waiting for her.
Norma was born November 3, 1930, in Ripley, OK. At the age of 13, she and her family moved to the Central Valley in California. She attended Beardsley Junior High, then Bakersfield High School. She met the love of her life, Kenneth O’Neal, when she was in 10th grade at the age of sixteen, and love intervened in her high school career. In September 1947, Ken proposed to Norma. Two months later on November 7 they were married. There was no honeymoon because the following Monday they both had to return to their jobs of picking cotton...although they said, “not a lot of cotton got picked that day...we had to kiss quite a lot!” They enjoyed 62 years of wedded bliss before Kenneth passed in 2009.
To know Norma - to even have met her - was to love her. She was Mom, Grandma, and Great-Grandma to so many fortunate enough to have crossed paths with her.
Norma (Grandma, Old Gramma, Old Mamo) is survived by her son Ken O’Neal, his wife Carol; daughter Roxie and husband Kevin Russell; daughter Susan and husband Rodney Bowser; grandchildren Michelle Bettis, Lisa Wilkins, Tim O’Neal, Jeffrey Russell, Patrick O’Neal, Paige Graves, Cassadi and Jasmine Bowser; great-children JJ, Jaidyn, Logan, Bristal, Maysin, and Parker.
The pallbearers will be Tim O’Neal, Patrick O’Neal, Curt Ince, Faron Bowman, Cameron Mudford, and Craig Wright. Honorary pallbearers are JJ Sipe, Michael Stroud, Ryan Lawson, Taylor Allen and Ryan McGary.
Norma will forever be remembered for her love of cookies (Little Debbie’s oatmeal pies), country music, and dancing. More importantly, she is remembered for all of the love she poured into everyone she met. She is a true example of living a life of service and showing kindness for others.
The family would like to extend their sincere thanks to Bristol Hospice and Rosewood Health Center, specifically to Chris and Shawna, who always kept her laughing, entertained, and most importantly loved.
Services for Norma will be held February 6, 2021 at 2:00 p.m. at Greenlawn Funeral Home Southwest.
Norma Lee O’Neal passed away peacefully in the early hours of the morning on January 23, 2021 and entered the Kingdom of Heaven where her beloved Kenneth was waiting for her.
Norma was born November 3, 1930, in Ripley, OK. At the age of 13, she and her family moved to the Central Valley in California. She attended Beardsley Junior High, then Bakersfield High School. She met the love of her life, Kenneth O’Neal, when she was in 10th grade at the age of sixteen, and love intervened in her high school career. In September 1947, Ken proposed to Norma. Two months later on November 7 they were married. There was no honeymoon because the following Monday they both had to return to their jobs of picking cotton...although they said, “not a lot of cotton got picked that day...we had to kiss quite a lot!” They enjoyed 62 years of wedded bliss before Kenneth passed in 2009.
To know Norma - to even have met her - was to love her. She was Mom, Grandma, and Great-Grandma to so many fortunate enough to have crossed paths with her.
Norma (Grandma, Old Gramma, Old Mamo) is survived by her son Ken O’Neal, his wife Carol; daughter Roxie and husband Kevin Russell; daughter Susan and husband Rodney Bowser; grandchildren Michelle Bettis, Lisa Wilkins, Tim O’Neal, Jeffrey Russell, Patrick O’Neal, Paige Graves, Cassadi and Jasmine Bowser; great-children JJ, Jaidyn, Logan, Bristal, Maysin, and Parker.
The pallbearers will be Tim O’Neal, Patrick O’Neal, Curt Ince, Faron Bowman, Cameron Mudford, and Craig Wright. Honorary pallbearers are JJ Sipe, Michael Stroud, Ryan Lawson, Taylor Allen and Ryan McGary.
Norma will forever be remembered for her love of cookies (Little Debbie’s oatmeal pies), country music, and dancing. More importantly, she is remembered for all of the love she poured into everyone she met. She is a true example of living a life of service and showing kindness for others.
The family would like to extend their sincere thanks to Bristol Hospice and Rosewood Health Center, specifically to Chris and Shawna, who always kept her laughing, entertained, and most importantly loved.