Norma Crawford

Norma M. Crawford, of Elburn, passed from this life to eternal life on June 10, 2013 at Delnor Community Hospital in Geneva, surrounded by the love and prayers of her family. Norma was born September 6, 1924, the daughter of Chris and Loretta (Haderer) Axelsen, in Burlington, IL.She attended local schools until graduating from Burlington High School with the class of 1942. On January 7 1950 she married her first love, Mayne Jensen. They spent the next 39 years making a lifetime of memories before Mayne’s passing on August 10, 1989. Norma was one of the lucky ones who were able to find love yet again. She married her friend of forty years, Howard Crawford, on September 12, 1990 at St. Gall Catholic Church in Elburn. Howie’s family became hers, and she always treated them as her own. On January 17, 2008 her heart was broken yet again when she lost Howie. Over the years Norma lived in Geneva, Elgin, and Elburn. Many can remember when she worked at Wyatt Morris’ grocery store in Elburn, which was located on the site which is now Schmidt’s Towne Tap. For many years she also worked for the Kane County Clerk’s Office in Geneva, where she provided birth and marriage certificates for many couples. She also helped many people while working on the Voter Registration Van. Norma was a devoted member of Bethlehem Lutheran Church in St. Charles. One of her joys was tending to her yard, always keeping it perfectly cut and totally free of any sticks. Neighbors always laughed when they saw her outside after winter because they knew spring was around the corner. She loved spending time and playing cards with Mary and Rich. Anyone close to Norma knew that she loved garage sales, always finding gifts for the whole family. If there were roosters, angels, bunnies, toddler toys, or if she found one of her famous sweatshirts, they surely became hers. There was nothing more special to her than her family and friends. She loved spending time with each of them, never taking any second for granted. Norma especially loved heading out to dinner with them, as it always brightened her spirit because then she would not have to cook! One of her favorites was a fried chicken dinner from Culver’s. She is survived by her daughters:Susan (Jerry) Black, of Geneva and Wendy (Brian) Ellis of Granite City;Four Grandchildren:Chris (Krista) Black of Glendale, AZ,Julie (Adam) Nicolai of Lombard, IL,Maggie Kline of Alton, IL,Katie (Oyvind) Barstad of Eidsvoll, Norway;Four Great Grandsons:Xander and Max Nicolai and Danny and Ryan Kline;Two great-nieces:Rebecca (Norman) Gratz and their children Haley and Norman, all of Poplar Grove, IL,Jacquelyn (Rob) Allen and their children Alainna and Sophia, all of Hampshire, IL,And a host of dear friends from the tri-cities, Elgin, Hampshire, and Elburn.She is preceded in death by her parents, her sister Monica(Lloyd) Kiesler, her first husband Mayne Jensen and her second husband Howard Crawford. A memorial visitation will be held Friday June 14, 2013 at 10am at Conley Funeral Home, 116 W. Pierce St., Elburn. A memorial service celebrating Norma’s life will follow visitation at 11am at the funeral home. Pastor Chienyu Jade Yi, Interim Pastor at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in St. Charles, will officiate.In lieu of flowers, a memorial has been established in her name to benefit the Elburn Fire Department, which helped Howie whenever needed: Checks may be made to the "Elburn Fire Department" and mailed in care of P.O. Box 66, Elburn, 60119. Tributes may also be forwarded to the same address or on the web at www.conleycare.com.