Margie Norman

Margie Norman was born on Nov. 22, 1934 in Nebraska, to Mary and Jess Phillips. She attended grade school through eighth grade, then started working as kids did in the forties. At one point, a young man walked into the movie theater during one of Margie’s shifts – and as her story goes, she took one look at him and decided, “I’m going to marry that boy someday.”

Not long after, she did just that. On New Year’s Eve, 1949, Margie married Harlan Norman, and went on to love him for the next 75 years. The two built the most beautiful life together, and amongst three children, eight grandchildren, and 13 great grandchildren, the title Margie was always most proud of was being Harlan’s wife.

Once married, Margie and Harlan bounced around from construction in Nebraska and New York, to farming here and there, until they settled back in Imperial, Neb. and opened Norman Training Stables in the early 1960s – a business that broke horses for racing. Just a few years in and not content with turning the horses over to someone else once they had the potential to race, the Normans took to the track themselves. 

Horseracing became a family affair, and while Harlan and the kids were busy at the barn, Margie kept the rest of life running. She knew the horses and racing community just as well as Harlan did, and when you asked her what she missed most about the track, she’d tell you that it was always the people. She raised three incredible children and kept the farm going at home. She was the most devoted homemaker and loved to put her personal spin on things – from wallpaper to curtains, every time her grandkids visited her house, it had something new to discover.

Margie was the queen of jewelry and was seldom seen without it – rings, necklaces, earrings – and always a broach – oftentimes playing into the racing culture with colors that represented Harlan’s brand, and nods to horseracing throughout her collection.

After Margie and Harlan retired from horseracing in 1994, they moved to their oldest daughter, Roxie, and son-in-law, Terry’s, ranch west of Loveland, Colo. There, Margie happily put her green thumb to work, quickly becoming the ranch’s self-appointed head landscaper, where you could find her playing in the dirt or cruising in her golf cart on watering rounds. She spread her passion for flowers, planting pops of color wherever she could, for the next 20 years.

In 2015, after winning a battle with a brain tumor, Margie moved to Fort Morgan, Colo. to be closer to her youngest daughter, Soni, and son-in-law, Jim. She spent the last decade of her life frequenting the slot machines in Black Hawk; continuing to nurture her flowers and garden; and becoming the world’s greatest GG (Great Grandma).

Margie was an amazing storyteller, avid reader, and puzzle connoisseur. She gave everyone who knew her an example to live by – a legacy that will last lifetimes over. She was the glue that held her family together, and she built traditions that run deep without ever realizing it.

Because of her, three generations only need to hold hands to know how much they are loved. Three generations sing home again, home again, jiggity jig every time they pull back into the driveway. Three generations have learned if you’re not willing to lose your money, don’t bet, and that 10s, 2s, and 4s can in fact be wild – it’s called Dr. Pepper. Three generations have felt the wrath of a good ol’ leg. And three generations have seen what it looks like to truly live – for your family, with purpose and grit – a life so full, it feels like more than one. She was strength, grace, and beauty; honest to a fault, stubborn as an ox, and spicy til the end.

She taught us how to read a racing program, how to turn rocks into ladybugs, when to fold, and what the world’s greatest pancakes taste like. But more than that, she showed us how to be strong and steady, how to stand up for ourselves, what it looks like to love with your whole heart without losing yourself in the process, and that there is literally nothing a woman can’t do.

Margie, mom, Gram, GG – you made the world more beautiful, and as much as we’ll miss without you here, we know you gained tenfold going Home. Tu-da-lu for now, until we squeeze you again.

Margie was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Harlan Norman; and siblings, Agnes Campbell, Velma Stephenson, Leonard Phillips, James Phillips, Michael Phillips, and Sam Phillips. She was survived by her sister, Helen Andrews; her children, Steven Norman (Kate), Roxie Ellis (Terry), and Soni Reich (Jim); her grandchildren, HJ Norman (Mary), Sarah Mirabal (Yusmel), Samantha Sams (Wesley), Meredith Schwindel (Michael), Shawn Ellis (Kim), Mindy Campbell (Craig), Amy Jo Miller (Casey), and Kacie Hand (Dillon); as well as 13 great grandchildren.

A graveside service will be held for Margie at Mount Hope Cemetery in Imperial, Neb., Friday, March 14, at 11 a.m. Though Harlan was surely waiting at Heaven’s gates in his signature red boots to greet Margie when she passed in January, we will formally lay her to rest right beside the man she loved her entire life. A brief reception will follow the service at The Eagles Club, 601 E. 5th St., Imperial, Neb.