Norma Frances Bartholomew

Norma Frances Anderson Bartholomew was born on Christmas Day, December 25, 1933 in Downey, Idaho.   She left us at Creekside Assisted Living in Jerome, where she was lovingly cared for, on May 26, 2024.  Daughter of Francis Hugh Anderson and Martha Johanna Nordby, she was delivered by her grandmother, Nanna Louise, who was a midwife.  As the youngest of eight surviving children, she was welcomed by sisters Louise, Berniece, Genevive, Dorothy, Evaun and Cheryl; and her only brother, Don.  Her father always said they were happy to get a new baby on Christmas Day because she was the only new thing they got that year.

She attended many schools during her early years including Shelley, Darlington, Victor, American Falls, Jerome, and Eden.  She graduated from Bellevue High School in 1951.  Even though most people would not be able to put down roots when moving so often, Norma was able to establish lifelong friendships with people she met during her school years.  After graduation, she met Willis “Bill” Bartholomew in Jerome, and went on to work for Western Union in Pocatello, Logan UT, Evanston and Cheyenne, WY before returning to Jerome to marry Bill on Feb 5, 1954.

Norma was a wonderful mother, grandmother and great-grandmother.  She and Bill welcomed four children in five years, and their home was a very busy one.  Kent, Kellee, Rocky, and Joani kept her busy with baseball, girl scouts, dance and piano recitals, basketball, cub scouts, 4-H, drill team, track and field, school chorus, church activities, cross-country, and all of the other activities they were involved in.  She and Bill were avid supporters of all of their children and grandchildren.  They also welcomed all of their children’s friends into their home and were often the hosts of impromptu pizza parties.  It was always fun to hang out at the Bartholomews!

As grandparents, she and Bill enriched the lives of their grandchildren and their friends.  Hot tub parties, sleep overs, summer Cool School, afterschool snacks, Christmas Party skits, and fun vacations created lifelong memories for their grandchildren.  Children were always important to Norma.  For several years, she and her good friend, Norene Andrus, held Jack and Jill Kindergarten in the basement of Norma’s home where many children in Jerome got their first introduction to education. Later, she was a substitute elementary school teacher and the children looked forward to her annual lesson on how to make and eat Spudnuts.

As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Norma was always active and willing to offer service to others.  Her favorite church position was as Stake Drama Director, where she led the production of an annual musical for seven years with participants from Jerome, Wendell, Hagerman, Gooding, Hazelton, Eden and Hunt.  

Norma had an uncanny ability to memorize birthdates and phone numbers.  If you needed to find someone in Jerome, she always knew who the closest relative to them was.  Many people remembered her from her work at Jerome Eye Center for 23 years.  She was also able to spend many years working as the secretary for Jerome Cemetery and helped and comforted many people in that capacity.

She was genuinely interested in people, and she enjoyed touching base with them just to see how they were doing.  In her later years, she would call people on her cellphone and play them songs on the piano to let them know she was thinking of them.  Norma was always the first one there with a casserole or dessert in times of joy or sorrow.  She was a wonderful example of kindness and compassion to all she came into contact with.   Hardly ever seen without a smile on her face, her triple layer chocolate cake was always in demand for cake auctions and special events.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Willis Vay “Bill” Bartholomew in 2017; her parents; and six siblings.  She is survived by sister, Cheryl Johnson; her children, Kent and Kathy Bartholomew, Kellee and Dave Traughber, Rocky and Lynette Bartholomew, and Joani and Larry Jackson; 21 grandchildren, 56 great-grandchildren, and 5 great-great grandchildren.

Funeral Service will be held at 2:00 pm, with a viewing beginning at 1:00 pm, Friday, May 31, 2024 at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 50 East 100 South, Jerome. Interment will follow at Jerome Cemetery.