Norma Mentzer

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of a wonderfully sweet and classy lady on Thursday, September 5, 2019 at the age of 93. Norma C. Mentzer was born on November 6, 1925 on a farm in Parma, Idaho to Donna and Edward Clark.  She was premature (weighing in at only 4 tiny pounds) but that didn’t slow her down from becoming a feisty young woman full of adventure.  She and her sister, Kay, attended elementary in a one room schoolhouse.  She drove a little Austen to high school which was a favorite with the boys. Or maybe it was the cutie that was driving it?  She learned to fly in a little Piper J3 Cub airplane.  As a young woman she travelled alone to visit her friend Audrey in Hawaii.

One day the Boise river flooded around Parma and soldiers from Gowen Field were brought in to sandbag the area.  One handsome soldier (Lloyd) caught her attention… or was it she that caught his?  At any rate Lloyd and his friends came back during the summer to visit Norma and Kay and, as they say, the rest is history.

After high school Norma moved with her family to Los Angeles. It was about that time that Lloyd was deployed to England. When he returned, they were married in 1950 and moved to Boise where Lloyd worked for Mountain Bell and Norma worked for Blue Cross.

In 1957, daughter Donna was born.  It was that year that Lloyd and Norma bought a boat and spent many summers waterskiing up at Lucky Peak.  Those were fun times with family and friends. She and Lloyd were devoted and supportive parents. They enjoyed being involved in all of Donna’s activities well into her adulthood.

In 1973 Lloyd joined the Elks Lodge where he and Norma enjoyed dancing, playing cards, going out to dinner, Sunday breakfasts and getting together with many well-loved friends and family.  During this time, they developed many life-long friendships.

One of the biggest highlights of Norma’s life was the birth of her grandson Justin in 1993.  She has just about given up on grandchildren when her daughter and son-in-law surprised her with the news.  Justin was the light of her life from day one.  She never tired of telling about the exploits of her adored grandson.   

When Lloyd passed away in 2011, Norma received much support from family and friends. Her sister Kay came to stay with her after she had cataract surgery.  She continued going to functions at the Elks with her good friend Jeanette.  She joined Fit and Fall proof classes with Kay and her niece, Clara and worked out 3 times/week.  Eventually she moved from the split entry that she and Lloyd had built to a single level townhouse closer to her daughter and son-in-law.  When she was no longer able to live on her own, Dennis and Donna took her into their home where she lived until her passing. She was so appreciative of the love and care she received there.  

Norma is survived by her daughter Donna Meier (Dennis), grandson Justin, sister Kay Young, nephew Jerry Young his daughter Shawna and her children Vincent and Christen, nephew Dan Young and his children Amanda and Alex, and niece Clara Anderson (Rodger) and their children Kyle and Colin.

She is preceded in death by her parents, Donna and Edward Clark and her husband, Lloyd.

A celebration of Norma’s life will take place at 10:00am on Friday, September 20 at Cloverdale Funeral Home followed by a reception/luncheon.  A viewing will be held just prior to the service from 9am to 10am.  

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Elkettes at Boise Elks Lodge BPOE #310.