Norma Paro

Norma Ethel (Ortloff) Paro passed into heaven on Saturday, April 22, 2017, at her daughter, Cindy's, home in Dallas, Ore.

Internment will be at a later date at the Rux Cemetery near Thief River Fall, Minn.

She was born to Andrew and Florence (Rux) Ortloff on Oct. 6, 1920, at the home farm near Thief River Falls, and was the fifth of eight children. She graduated early from high school and Teachers Training by age 17 at St. Hilaire, Minn. She taught country school until she moved to Seattle, Wash., to be with an aunt. Later when she moved to Glasgow, she was a substitute elementary and special ed. teacher.

It was at Seattle where she met and married Donald Paro while she was working at the Naval base. They were married 70 years when Don passed away. She and Don moved to Duluth, Minn. where their first child, Cynthia, was born. Their second child, Juanita, was born in Thief River Falls. She and Don moved to Glasgow when the girls were young. Glasgow would be their home until October of 2002 when they moved to Salem, Ore., to be near their daughter, Cindy. She and Don resided there until Don passed in 2014, at which time she resided with Cindy. In 2016, she moved with Cindy to Dallas.

She loved to read and work in her beautiful flower gardens. She enjoyed taking painting lessons and painted several beautiful mountain scenes. Her great-grandchildren loved her stories about her dad hitching up a team of horses to take her to school. She loved and trusted in Jesus and was involved in her church's ministries. She taught Sunday School, Bible School and served as president of the church women's group.

Grandson Steve stated the following about his grandmother: "As an adult I learned that she was strong. She was fierce. She was gentle. Life was good and it was also hard for her. She absorbed every hurt and challenge without causing hurt in return. She was strong, not because she forced others to bend to her desire, but because she adapted, she thrived, she made peace, she forgave."

Norma was the last of her siblings. She was preceded in death by her husband, Don; her parents; seven siblings: Elroy, Raymond (Grace), Irene (Edwin) Anderson, Robert (Anna), Esther(Albert) Myhrer, Wendell (Lucille) and Kenneth; three nephews, Roger Anderson, Dwight Ortloff and Terry Myhrer and two nieces, Lolly Myhrer and Julie Ortloff.

She is survived by two daughters, Cynthia of Dallas, and Juanita of Phoenix, Ariz.; stepson Don Paro, Jr., his wife, Gayle, and their two daughters, Kristie and Kathy; five grandsons, John (Mandy), Steve, Brian, Bryce, and Jenanie; eight great-grandchildren who loved her so much and two sisters-in-law, Marlene Ortloff and Shirley Fields.