Norma Mendenhall's Obituary
We are saddened to announce the passing of beloved mother, wife, sister, grandmother, and friend Norma Mendenhall on February 26, 2023. She was 81.
Norma grew up on a dairy farm in Whitewater, Wisconsin, graduating from University of Wisconsin - Whitewater with a teaching degree in 1964. While working as a schoolteacher in Denver, Colorado, she met James C. Bailey, whom she married in 1965. They lived in Huntington Beach, California, before moving their family to St. Louis in 1975 for Jim to attend seminary. He became pastor of Christ Lutheran Church in Webster Groves, where he served for fifteen years, before taking the position of pastor at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Pittsburg in 1994. For both congregations, Norma served as a very active part of the ministry, often serving as Choir director, leading children’s programs, Sunday school, and acting in many other capacities.
After raising her five children, Norma returned to her love of teaching, serving more than ten years as an elementary school teacher in the Pittsburg USD before retiring in 2012.
Norma and Jim were married more than forty years before his passing in 2005. She and Terry Mendenhall, retired dean of the Kelce School of Business at Pittsburg State University, wed in 2008 and were married until his death in 2021. They were active in the community, particularly with their St. John’s congregation, and traveled with family and friends as much as they could. Bass Lake, Wisconsin, and Arizona were favorite destinations.
Norma is survived by her children: Lisa, husband Marvin and grandson William of Dallas; Scott Bailey of Pittsburg; Lori Crismon of Pittsburg; Marc Bailey and granddaughter Ella of St. Louis; and Matthew Bailey of Fort Smith, Arkansas. She is survived by her five brothers and sisters: Cliff Gnatzig of Cornell, Wisconsin; Ellie and husband Don Richards of River Falls, Wisconsin; Bill and wife Susan Gnatzig of Roberts, Wisconsin; Jan and husband Rick Meier of Ripon, Wisconsin; and Catherine and husband Charlie Mestek of Fish Creek, Wisconsin. She is also survived by her Mendenhall grandchildren: Maxwell and Sammuel Mendenhall of Dallas; Ashleigh Kunshek and great grandchildren Harper and Cameron of Overland Park, Kansas; Erin Stephan of Pittsburg; and Lane and Will Mendenhall of Pittsburg.
Services will be held Saturday, March 4 at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Pittsburg at 11 a.m. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of America or to Heifer International.
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