Beverly Mae Norager

Beverly Mae (Hammond) Norager, 96, left this earth for her heavenly home on the morning of April 11, 2024, under the care of the Olathe Hospice House in Olathe, KS.

Beverly was born at home on September 26, 1927, east of Glenville, MN to Raymond "RB" and Esther Amanda (Ostenson) Hammond, joining sisters Lillian Grace and Arlene Esther. Raising a family was difficult during the Great Depression and the family moved to Iowa and were eventually able to purchase their own farms in the Radcliffe area. Beverly's oldest sister Lillian taught her many homemaking skills and was a caretaker in her younger years. During her elementary years, Beverly attended two, one-room country schoolhouses near Zearing, IA often recounting stories of riding a horse to school. During World War II, Beverly attended Roland High School, graduating at the age of 16 in 1944. It was a cherished happy time when the school built a new gymnasium and the beginning of Beverly's love of basketball . As a sophomore Beverly got to play in the first game in the new gym when basketball was first offered as a competitive high school sport. She went on to play her remaining 3 years of high school, earning a varsity letter. Beverly remained in touch and close friends with her teammates and classmates throughout her life.

On November 4, 1945, Beverly married her high school sweetheart Thorval "Ted" Norager. They soon welcomed two cherished daughters, Carol Jon and Sharman Sue while also farming in Radcliffe, IA. Beverly managed a lovely home and was a partner in the farming enterprise which eventually encompassed five farms. The family were members of Salem Lutheran Church and later Our Saviour Lutheran both in Radcliffe, IA.

As a child of the depression era, Beverly was thrifty and knew the value of hard work. As a young girl, she de-tasseled corn and her first job out of high school was sewing ponchos and raincoats for the military in WWII. Beverly also worked for Time Life Books in Nevada, IA then later sold World Book Encyclopedias, earning a full set of volumes for her efforts. The World Books were always a fixture in her bookcase and became a favorite part of all who spent time with Beverly at her home. Beverly had a naturally inquisitive mind and a strong appetite for learning, enabling her to converse about many subjects and almost always included getting out a World Book to look something up or read more about a topic.

Beverly faced life's challenges with courage and grit; especially during the last few months of her life while battling aggressive Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma, just three months after losing her daughter Sharman. In the 1960s Beverly endured the loss of several family members, including her Aunt Elsie, sister-in-law Solveig, her sister Arlene, and her father in a tragic farm accident that happened one month after selling the Hammond family farms. Beverly then became her mother Esther's full-time caregiver until her passing in 1988 while also working at Bethany Manor in Story City, IA. They lived in Huxley, IA before Beverly eventually purchased a home in Ankeny, IA. Beverly enrolled in night classes graduating from Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) as a Licensed Practical Nurse in March of 1973, becoming a Registered Nurse in June of 1979. Beverly worked as a Cardiac Rehab and Cardiac Care nurse at the Iowa Methodist Medical Center, retiring in 1992.

While in Ankeny, IA, Beverly was a member of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church for nearly 34 years, where she was active with Lutheran World Relief Quilting, Altar Guild, and many other volunteer activities. Beverly enjoyed the company of many friends and always remained active after retirement. She was a member of the Penguins Water Aerobics group, various book clubs, and had season tickets to the Des Moines Symphony. Beverly loved traveling and drove to see many family members frequently, attended the Story Telling Festival in Downs, Kansas several times, as well as trips to Norway, England, the Pacific Northwest, Alaska, and Victoria British Columbia.

In 2005 Beverly left the great state of Iowa to live with her daughter Sharman in Gardner, KS. Beverly then began attending St. Mark's Lutheran Church in Olathe, KS where she quickly got involved in working at the church and making new friends. Beverly was on the Library Committee and worked in the Lucy Reed Library, the BookMarks bookclub, the St. Marks Quilters and served families after funerals with the ladies of the W.I.N.G.S. (Women In God's Service). In December 2013 Beverly moved to her final home in Olathe, KS where she has been surrounded by caring and loving neighbors who became close and dear friends.

Beverly found joy in and was always dedicated to her family. She was intentional to stay connected and current with everyone's lives. She attended every Hammond Family Reunion from the 1940s until 2019, with a surprise celebration of her 90th birthday in 2017. For the past 50+ years Beverly has called a family friend in Norway to wish her happy birthday on New Year's Day and has enjoyed hours-long chats with her nephew Courtney and cousins David and Rob. Beverly became very close to her granddaughters and great-grandchildren and has been a constant source of love to them. She attended every church event, play, musical, sports competition, family celebration, and holiday gathering as well as countless family meals, Sundays spent doing puzzles, and time together. Beverly shared her joy of gardening with her family and thought of her plants as pets and we all especially loved her banana bread and rhubarb jam.

Beverly was fiercely independent and lived her life with discipline, courage, and a commitment to health. Beverly was beloved and cherished by her family and many friends who were blessed by her love, wit, wisdom, and practical advice. Her family is grateful for her lifelong faith in Christ and is comforted knowing one day she will welcome them again.

Beverly has now joined her parents, sisters, nephew Kent Olson, many cousins, son-in-law Mike Peterman, grandson-in-law Mike Copeland, and daughter Sharman Beeson in Heaven. Her surviving family include daughter Carol Jon (Norager) Peterman, Surprise, AZ, granddaughters Dawna (Travis) Coffey, Lenexa, KS and Maria Copeland, Olathe, KS, great-grandchildren Olivia, Abigail and Joshua Copeland, Olathe, KS, grandsons Thorval "Ted" Peterman, Surprise, AZ and Joshua Beeson, Overland Park, KS, nephew Courtney (Yoshimi) Olson, Mesa, AZ, great-nieces Amy (Jim) Tynan, Corpus Christi, TX and Christine Olson, Honolulu, HI and cousins Dean Hammond, Sioux Falls, SD, David (Judi) Alme, Minn, MN and Rob Hammond, Okoboji, IA.

The family suggests memorial contributions be made to St. Mark's Lutheran Church, Olathe, KS or to your church or charity of choice.


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