Norma Joan Nye of Hessel, MI, passed peacefully into the presence of her Lord and Savior on Wednesday, January 10, 2024. She was born April 30,1931, in Hessel, to George and Anne (Cartwright) MacDonald. Norma grew up in Hessel and graduated from Cedarville High School in 1948 with Valedictorian honors. In 1951 she married her husband of 52 years, Harold F. Nye, also of Hessel. They settled in the Dearborn and Inkster area of MI until 1955, when they chose to return to Hessel, build a home, and raise their family on Nye Road.
Norma worked for 35 years at the Cedarville, MI, Elementary School, from 1969 until her retirement in 2004 at the age of 73. She was and always shall be known in her community by countless former students as “Mrs. Nye.” Working with children’s education was the delight of her life. She played a pivotal role in establishing the school’s first computer room, and was especially thrilled with the resulting program “Writing to Read.” Norma was an avid reader and loved a variety of literature and poetry. She never stopped her quest to learn new skills and over time became an artist at many things, including basket weaving, knitting, quilting, and piano. She liked to stay busy and walked at least five miles daily. She rarely missed a Mackinac Bridge Labor-Day walk, her Pilates group, or any available line dancing class. During retirement, she did extensive volunteer work for the Vested Partners service dog school while wintering in South Carolina. Norma profoundly loved all animals. Her faithfulness to her pets as well as to her many friends was second to none. She modeled servitude in her community, her church, and her family, and exemplified hard work in what she believed to be her most important job of all: that of wife, mom, and homemaker.
Norma is survived by 4 children: George Nye of Phoenix, AZ; Tim Nye of Hessel; Brenda (Gene) Hamel of Hessel; Julie Nye of Portal, AZ; daughter-in-law Bette Nye of Hessel; 8 grandchildren: Cedric Nye, Justin Nye, Michelle Gonyon, Galadriel Nye, Brian Hamel, Amanda Hamel-Gerding, Harmony (Christopher) Miscisin, and Christian Sheber; 27 great-grandchildren; 7 great-great grandchildren; 5 siblings: Kenneth MacDonald of New Hampshire, Paul MacDonald of Pennsylvania, Katy Rabe of New York, Margaret Hawkins of Arkansas, and Judy Old of Sault Ste. Marie, plus a large, extended family of nieces, nephews, and cousins.
Norma was preceded in death by her husband, parents, son Roy A. Nye, grandsons Corey Nye and Nick Sayles, daughters-in-law Carol Nye and Shari Nye, and siblings Eileen Nye and Muriel Roeske.
Following a private family ceremony, Norma will be laid to rest with her husband and parents at Oakland Chapel Gardens in Pickford, MI.
Any donations in lieu of flowers will be used to establish a memorial of the family’s choice, in Norma’s name, benefiting the Elementary division of Les Cheneaux Community Schools. Memoriams should be payable to Carol (Nye) Ammons, Norma’s niece who will administrate the memorial, and sent in care of Julie Nye, PO Box 16322, Portal, AZ 85632.
Family Life Funeral Home assisted the family with arrangements. Condolences may be left to the family at www.galerfuneralhomes.com
