116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Obituaries
The Gazette publishes obituaries on a daily basis. Use the search field above to search for obituaries by name or keyword. Readers can submit an obituary or submit a milestone to The Gazette. The obituary must be submitted before 1 p.m. for publication on thegazette.com at 6 p.m. and in the daily edition the next day, with the exception of obituaries for Sunday publication, which must be submitted by 1 p.m. on Fridays.
Norma Pohren
NORMA JEAN POHREN
Hamilton, Ill.
1943 2017
Norma Jean Pohren, 73, of Hamilton, Ill., was reunited with the Lord on Friday, Jan. 20, 2017.
She was born Aug. 1, 1943, in Farmington, Iowa, the daughter of Alonzo Kenneth and Bessie Marie Derr Church. Later in life, her stepfather, Lyman Burrows, adopted Norma.
On July 15, 1961, Norma was united in marriage to Gary W. Pohren at Trinity Methodist Church in Warsaw, Ill. He survives.
She also is survived by two sons, Michael Pohren of Burlington and Jason Pohren of Hamilton; one daughter, Kimberly Taylor and husband Brett of Cedar Rapids; five grandsons, Colton Pohren of Keokuk, Clayton Pohren of Middletown, Jadon Taylor and Wesley Taylor, both of Cedar Rapids, and Juris Pohren of Hamilton; one great-grandson, Jeansen Adams of Lewistown, Mo.; a brother-in-law, Stephen Pohren and wife Paula of Farmington; and several aunts, cousins and close friends.
She was preceded in death by her grandparents; parents; a son in infancy, Gary Wayne Pohren Jr.; and one sister, Debra Burrows-Chovanec.
Norma graduated from Warsaw High School with the Class of 1962.
Norma was employed at Sheaffer Pen in Fort Madison for a couple of years after high school graduation. She then retired from Sheller-Glove (Metzler Automotive) after 43 years of service in August 2006.
She was a longtime member of Golden's Point Christian Church in Hamilton and various area quilting clubs.
Norma loved to quilt and made many beautiful quilts for her children and grandchildren which they will treasure forever. Norma enjoyed gardening and was a very accomplished rose gardener. She also enjoyed watching birds, especially hummingbirds.
She was a devoted wife to her husband, mother to her children and grandmother to her grandsons. She always considered her family her greatest and most satisfying accomplishment, and most of her free time was spent accompanying her children and grandchildren in their personal, academic and athletic endeavors.
Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday at Vigen Memorial Home in Keokuk, with Pastor Larry Menschel officiating. Burial will be in Greenglade Cemetery in Farmington. Visitation will be held after 1 p.m. Friday at Vigen Memorial Home with the family meeting with friends from 6 to 8 p.m.
Memorials may be made to the University of Iowa Pediatrics Department.
Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.vigenmemorialhome.com.
Daily Newsletters