Norma Ann Reece

Norma Ann Reece (Darnall) passed away peacefully in the Casper home of her oldest son Bryce and his wife Melodie on March 20, 2026 following a brief illness. Norma was delivered into this world by a midwife on August 4, 1938 in a small farmhouse near Pavillion, WY to her parents, Glenn Omar and Dora Elizabeth (Cross) Darnall. She was raised on the family farm on Burma Rd. near Riverton, WY and graduated from Riverton High School in 1956. She then attended Colorado State University for a short while wherein she obtained (according to her) her “Mrs. degree” by marrying Russell Robert Reece whom she met while in college. They returned to his hometown of Porterville, CA where her two sons, Bryce Richard (1958) and Randall Allan (1960) were born. Norma followed Russ around for many years as he chased his dreams and professional pursuits, living in several towns and states as well as Canada, until she finally decided she was done moving and settled herself back home in Riverton, where she lived until her passing.

Norma worked in a variety of professions over the course of her life, with the longest serving as a legal secretary for a variety of attorneys in both California and Wyoming. She worked for Bruce McMillian at Farmers Exchange in Riverton, where she met one of her oldest and dearest friends, Lavonne Pollard, forming a decades-long friendship. She also worked for John Linton as a secretary at Linton’s Big R for a number of years and spent many hours visiting with the many customers there, further accumulating the tremendous number of friends that she had throughout her life.

Norma had many passions in her life. Her greatest was her love for the Lord, He carried her through many trials and tribulations in her life, and she always knew whose she was and who her Heavenly Father was. That is why her family, while terribly sad over not having her with them now, are ecstatic and comforted with the knowledge that today she resides in Heaven with her Savior. As someone put it, when she passed away she “was on an express elevator straight to Heaven.”

The next passion was her family. Times were often difficult while raising her family, but she always put the needs of her family ahead of her own. Her boys will tell you that, looking back, they now know that they were never what would be considered “well to do” but in their minds they never knew it because of the sacrifices their mother made to make sure they were always taken care of through the amazing ability she had of taking nothing and making it into something remarkable. When her grandchildren came along, they provided her with some of the greatest joy she knew in her life and she in turn instilled in them values and qualities that helped make them into the tremendous people they have all become. She was blessed with two amazing daughters-in-law, Jeanne (Randy’s wife) and Melodie (Bryce’s wife) who loved her like she was their own mother and who spent many hours in her final days caring for and loving over her. She was truly blessed by these two amazing women.

Her third greatest passion was her love for her animals and for the land which sustained them all. Over the course of her life, she had many four-legged friends that she adored and cherished and who in turn nourished and fulfilled her soul. She was never without a dog, cat or horse nearby and the number of baby lambs, calves and colts she brought into this world and that she managed to help reach their God-intended lives is immeasurable. Her prowess at making things grow was legendary and Norma prided herself on her ability to make things bloom, an ability handed down by her father. Her family does not think it an accident that she chose the first day of spring to leave her earthly home and move to Heaven. Spring was her favorite time of year, a time of renewal and new life which exemplified her remarkable life through the care and love she showed to so many baby animals. We know she is even now somewhere in Heaven bottlefeeding a baby lamb tucked under her arm.

Norma leaves behind many friends and family who loved her deeply, including her brother Glenn Richard and his wife Elaine and their four sons Randy, Ben, Scott and Jeff. In the 1960’s, her parents took in two young Native American boys, Shane and Mike Durgin, and Norma loved them both like her own. In addition to her two sons and their wives are grandchildren Tyler Reece, Tabitha Fleak, Grant Siddoway and newly added to her fold Kristin Evans and Erika Bestor and four great grandchildren Ava and Emerson Reece and Madison and Aaron Fleak. Additional nephews and nieces include Kevin Reece, Kimberly Reece Neff, Wendy Reece Attaway, and Christie Rochelle. Norma had some very close and important friends including Laura Bedford, Sharon Peterson, Brian, Kenna, Carson and Westin Borst, Randy and Kari Suhn, Jodi Poffenroth, Barbara Ayers, John Soll and Dick and Jody McConnaughey. We know they will miss her as much as we will.

Per her wishes, Norma will be cremated and her ashes will be spread by her boys in places where they can continue to feel close to her. The family will be holding a celebration of her life in Riverton sometime in the near future for those wishing to join her family in remembering her. In lieu of flowers, those desiring to honor her memory are encouraged to make a donation to a local youth organization such as the FFA, 4-H or “Reining Strength” (a program that helps young people through horse therapy) or a contribution to a local animal shelter (she loved those little four legged souls) but most and more importantly, tell someone important to you that you love them and do it before it’s too late!