Margaret McNeece Norman

It is with great sadness that the family of Margaret Dean McNeece “Nanny” Norman announce her passing, at home, on Saturday June 15, 2024. She was 92 years old.

Margaret was born on August 6, 1931, in Wheelerfield, a very rural area in the Porters Chapel community of Mt. Pleasant. She was the second child of seven children born to the late William Arthur McNeece and the late Alice Samantha Boyd McNeece. She was affectionally know as “Sister” to her siblings. She attended school at Porters, Hay Long Elementary and was a proud member of the 1949 graduation class of Hay Long High School and where she also played basketball. She remained friends with her classmates for the next 75 years.

 On December 23, 1950, she married Thomas Howard “Pappy” Norman in Iuka Mississippi. She lived on Circle Drive in Mt. Pleasant for over 56 years, where the five children, ten grandchildren and nineteen great-grandchildren often gathered for family meals and holidays. Margaret was an excellent cook. She was well known for her sweet tea, pies, caramel cake, fried pies, chicken and dumplings, biscuits, cornbread, and all things fried as well. She insisted you say please, thank you, yes ma’am, no ma’am. She enjoyed working in the yard, tending to her flowers, cooking, watching Wheel of Fortune, talking on the phone, rocking all the babies, and listening to music on RFD. She enjoyed Catfish Campus, crunchy tacos, supreme pizza, a Whopper. Margaret’s working career outside the home was spent at various shirt factories in Mt. Pleasant and Columbia, for over 40 years, and then retiring from the Publix Shirt Factory. She talked regularly to many of her work associates.

 She was a lifelong member of the Church of Christ. She attended Halls Church of Christ as a young girl, Spencer Hill Church of Christ as she reared her children and Sandy Hook Church of Christ for the past 40 years. She also taught Sunday school to the children and was called Mrs. Margaret by the children. She put God first and was a lady of immense strength.

 Margaret is survived by her two daughters: Lynn (Eddie) Bassham of Mt. Pleasant and Debbie (Mike) Boehms of Columbia; her two sons: Kenny (Linda) Norman of Mt. Pleasant and Don Norman of Columbia. Her brother Jerry (Martha) McNeece and her sister Jean Westmoreland.

 She was blessed with ten grandchildren: Brandon (Keyta) Bassham, their sons, Keydon and Koltt; April Norman; Ashley Norman Shearin and her daughter Sophie; Ken Norman, sons Kaiden and daughter Koble; Brooke (Blake) Lovett, their daughters Ansley Kate and Taylor Margaret; Tiffany (Chris) Lemay their daughters Autumn (Caleb) Smith and Addison Sensat; Jenny Lynn Dickson and her son Hudson; Kendall (Michael) Jacobs, their sons, Kasen and Kaylor, daughter Kountee; Will ( Kellye) Norman, their daughter Lilah; Sid (Charlotte) Boehms, their sons Weston and Cooper, daughters Piper Rose and Raven Sage. Sister-in-laws; Shirley McNeece, Peggy McNeece, Betty Lou McNeece, Faye Wood, Sara Dale, Juanita (Buddy) Freeman,: Brother-in-law: Don Brogan, and several nieces and nephews.

 Margaret is preceded in death by her husband, Howard Norman, son Michael Howard Norman, great-grandson Kennon Anderson, and four brothers Billy McNeece, Wayne McNeece, Bruce McNeece, and Larry McNeece.

 Visitation will take place at Sandy Hook Church of Christ in Mt. Pleasant on Thursday June 20th from 4:00pm to 8:00pm. Funeral services with follow on Friday June 21st at Sandy Hook Church of Christ at 2:00pm with Andy Pogue, Eddie Bassham and Randy McNeece officiating, Margaret’s final resting place will be at Arlington Cemetery in Mt. Pleasant.

 Pallbearers are Brandon Bassham, Ken Norman, Will Norman, Sid Boehms, Blake Lovett, Michael Jacobs, Lee Sensat and Ricky Massey.

Honorary pallbearers will be the men of Sandy Hook Church of Christ.

 Memorials can be made to Sandy Hook Church of Christ Building Fund. A special thank you to Paula Potts for being a loving caregiver, Caris Healthcare for managing her health care, and all of Margaret’s Circle Drive neighbors for the love and support during this difficult time.