Norma Mickelson Culp

The Funeral services celebrating and honoring the life of Norma Mickelson Culp, 95, of Enid will be held at 10:00 A.M. Saturday September 28, 2019 in the Brown-Cummings Funeral Home Chapel with Reverend Susan Southall officiating. Burial will follow in the Memorial Park Cemetery. Services are under the direction of Brown-Cummings Funeral Home.

She was born on August 22, 1924 to Amy S. Hanson (Mickelson) and Tennis B. Mickelson and passed from this life on September 24, 2019 in Enid, Oklahoma.

She was born on a farm south of Linn Grove, Iowa in Buena Vista County and was the youngest of seven children. She grew up in the Linn Grove/Sioux Rapids area as her parents were tenant farmers around those towns. Her family moved to new properties in March of every year. Norma went to eight schools in twelve years and was one of only two of the children to finish high school. She attended two Country schools as well as schools in Peterson, Rembrandt, Cornell, and Linn Grove before graduating from Sioux Rapids in 1942.

After graduation, Norma went to Rockford, Illinois and worked waitressing at Bloomquist Confectionary as well as working at the Rockford Screw Products factory where bolts and screws were made for the planes in the war effort.

In December 1944, Norma met Carl Culp, a sailor, who was completing training and was about to return to New Orleans. On Friday January 05, 1945, they decided to get married and were engaged that night. They were married at 8:00 P.M. Saturday January 06, 1945 in the Lutheran Parsonage. Her mother arrived on Sunday and was able to see the couple for a few hours before they caught the train to New Orleans that evening.

The couple set up their first home in New Orleans and stayed until her husband was sent overseas in May 1945. She moved back to Iowa and stayed with her parents. Her daughter, Sheryl was born the following January. She moved again in February 1947 to join her husband in Norfolk, Virginia. They were in Oceanview, Virginia until her husband left the Navy in September 1948. Ultimately, they set up home in Aurelia, Iowa when her husband took a job at a garage.

In January 1950, her daughter Nancy was born and in March of that year the family moved to Greenville, Iowa to operate a gas station and garage. Leaving there in 1952, they settled in Rockford, Illinois. Their son Tim was born in 1954. The family stayed in Rockford until June 1956 when they moved again to Greenville. Her family enjoyed living in Greenville, developing and renewing friendships and staying close to family.

Some of the best memories Norma had were of having the whole family over on New Year’s Day to watch the Parades and football games on their color TV. Their house was wall-to-wall people, but no one ever seemed to mind. Her family then moved to Estherville, in October 1965.

In 1975, with the children all out of the house, Norma and Carl moved to Houston, Texas and stayed there until August 1992 when they moved to Enid, Oklahoma. After Carl’s death in 1995, Norma and her daughter Nancy lived together until 2005 when Nancy left Enid. Norma then moved in with her daughter Sheryl and son-in-law Jack. She stayed with them until moving into Garland Road Nursing and Rehabilitation in 2016.

She never knew a stranger and will always be remembered for her “gift of gab” and her tender heart. She loved her family and friends and reveled in the noise of having a house full of company. Her rare complaints centered on how quiet her house was after company had departed.

She is survived by her brother Gordon, daughter, Sheryl Douma, son, Tim Culp and wife Kathy; grandchildren, Todd Douma and wife Stephanie, Scott Douma and wife Jennifer, Corbin Wolf and wife Fran, Crysta Green and husband David, and Alex Culp; great-grandchildren, Ryan Dunlap and wife Ashleigh, Will and Maggie Douma, Noelle, Elsa, and Lucy Green; and great-great-grandchildren, Braedyn and Bryson Dunlap

She was preceded in death by her parents, Amy and Tennis; sisters, Bernice Steffen and Ruth Wischmeyer; brothers Donald, Nolan and Richard; son-in-law, Jack Douma, (2016); daughter Nancy Wolf (2017); and husband Carl Culp (1995).

Memorials in her name may be made to the Activity Fund at Garland Road Nursing Home with Brown-Cummings Funeral serving as custodian of the funds.

Condolences to the family may be made online at WWW.Brown-Cummings.com