Norma Jean Behnke Hadley's Obituary
Norma Jean Behnke Hadley was born in Russellville, Arkansans on September 5, 1935. She was the fourth of five children born to Albert and Esther Behnke. As the child of a Lutheran Pastor, Norma moved several times in her earlier childhood, living in Wartburg, Tennessee; Charlotte, North Carolina; and Tallahassee, Florida. When her father became an Army Air Corp Chaplain in World War II, Norma and the family moved to live with relatives in Oakville, Missouri, near St. Louis. After the war, Norma’s father went back to being a Lutheran Pastor and took a call in St. Louis. Norma spent her teens there, graduating from Lutheran High School. While in high school, Norma became the regular piano player on Sundays at her church.
After high school, Norma obtained and Associates Degree at St. John’s college in Winfield, Kansas. She returned to St. Louis where she worked for Anheuser-Busch as a secretary. While working there Norma won a company-wide beauty contest.
Norma’s father went back into the service during the Korean War as an Air Force Chaplain, and eventually the family moved to Randolph Air Force Base outside of San Antonio, Texas. It was there that Norma met a young pilot in training by the name of Charles Hobart Hadley. The two were eventually married at Lockbourne Air Force Base near Columbus, Ohio on September 5, 1960.
On September 19, 1961, Norma gave birth to her first son, Michael James. Their second son, Mark Edward, came two-and-a-half years later on April 23, 1964. As is typical of military families, they moved numerous times throughout the years, but they were always stationed in the United States. Their journeys took them to Chicopee, Massachusetts; Rome, New York; Spokane Washington; Prattville, Alabama; Hurst, Texas; and Abilene, Texas. An especially challenging time for Norma was when Chuck went to serve in the Vietnam War. She had to be both father and mother to her boys during that time.
In 1986, Chuck retired from the Air Force. Norma wanted to move closer to family so they decided to move to Memphis, Tennessee. They bought a house in the Memphis suburb of Germantown. Norma soon began work as an assistant in a podiatrist’s office. Among her duties was typing up the dictation on her typewriter, which she continued to do for over 30 years. She also became very active in her church, Christ the King Lutheran, and played the organ there for many years.
One of Norma’s greatest tragedies was losing her son Mike in 2004. It was a sorrow she felt the entire rest of her life. Chuck passed away only two years later in 2006. However, Norma did not allow the grief of these two losses to consume her. Instead, she took hold of her new life, which began by her purchasing a new home in Memphis. She continued to be extremely active, with work and church, hosting parties, and attending numerous social and cultural events.
In 2019, after over 33 years in Memphis, Norma moved to Bedford, Texas to be near son Mark and his family. She spent the last three years of her life at a retirement community making a whole new group of friends. In 2020 she was diagnosed with an extremely rare cancer in her hand, which could not be stopped after multiple surgeries and treatments. After a nearly two-year battle, Norma Jean Behnke Hadley went to be with the Lord on September 19, 2022.
Norma will be remembered for her vivacious, generous spirit. She always saw the bright side of life, she laughed easily, and she made friends wherever she went. Giving compliments was effortless for her, and she drew people to her because of the light and love she radiated. She will be greatly missed, but her legacy lives on in her son Mark, her daughter-in-law Lanell, and her granddaughters Harper and Piper.
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