Norman Massey

Norman Jay Massey, 88, was born Jan. 27, 1935, near Garrison, N.D., the fifth child of Joseph and Pauline (House) Massey. The family farmed but decided to move west for additional opportunities when Norman was around 10 years old. They settled in Toledo, Washington, and began logging and farming there. Norman attended school in Toledo and played high school football. Additional siblings were born and everyone was expected to pitch in around the Massey household. Between occasionally exchanging punches, they always got along well.

Norm graduated from Toledo in the early ’50s and shortly thereafter trekked to the sagebrush-filled Quincy area of the Columbia Basin along with much of his family. Norm met and married a Quincy girl, Sharon J. Kissler, in 1957. He served in the Army as a medic for two years stationed in Germany and Sharon joined him during that period. They returned to Quincy and started a family; the eldest son was born in 1960. Other sons followed, with the young family moving to Federal Way, Washington, and buying a home in the early ’60s. Norm worked long hours delivering furniture and doing heavy work in the Seattle shipyards. It was in the shipyards that he honed welding and other skills that would lead him to join the Boilermakers Union. The dry side of the state beckoned him back in 1970, as the fifth son was born, and then finally a daughter in 1973. The family purchased a home outside Quincy and the kids went to the local schools. During the ensuing decade, Norm continued to do what he needed to do to support the family: making long daily commutes to both Grand Coulee and Chief Joseph dams to work on new powerhouses while continuing to moonlight with local farms (like Hirai’s) during the “slow” times. To relax, Norm loved to go camping and fishing with the family. During this period, he also watched his older sons raise sheep for the county fair and develop into outstanding wrestlers.

At the end of the 1970s, Norm found steady work on the Hanford Nuclear Reservation. While working at Hanford, Norm designed and built a home in the Tri-Cities, where he hoped future generations of the family would live. He completed the home, but not before his first marriage had reached its own conclusion. This was a sad event in Norm’s life, but he bounced back strong as he always did from any disappointment. He joined the Lakeside Gem & Mineral Club in the Tri-Cities. He fully immersed himself in this new hobby that included collecting, cutting, and polishing gems and rocks. His life was injected with new purpose and meaning as he established a relationship with Helen Liles, who would become his second wife. Norm embraced the responsibilities of life with Helen, helping to raise her two children while doing his best to maintain strong connections with the children from his first marriage. Norman never abdicated on family obligations and strove to achieve the best outcomes for everyone regardless of the hardships involved.

After more than 10 years of marriage, Helen’s death from an extended illness marked the end of their time together. Again, this set Norman back, but as his retirement neared, he found solace with a new companion, Loretta Johnson. For the last decades of his life, Norman and Loretta settled in Soap Lake, Washington, immersing themselves in the community there. Together, they embarked on many fun-filled trips together traveling around the western United States, rock-hounding, sightseeing, and visiting their many friends at every stop. These were truly golden years.

Norman’s Christian faith deepened in retirement and he was a longtime active member of Ephrata’s Bread of Life Ministry Church. He prioritized going to service every Sunday, was a regular at Wednesday Bible study and had an affinity for “cowboy church,” as well. Norman always wanted to do the right thing for those around him and valued holding up his end of any bargain. He was a master of small talk with friends and strangers alike, and the exchanges inevitably made those around him feel a bit bigger after the conversation was completed.

Norman owned many makes and models of cars during his lifetime but became known as a “Ford Guy” in the later decades of his life. According to him, a Ford never legitimately lost a NASCAR race after 1987. He fondly recalled a Mercury Lynx wagon in the ’80s that ran like a top (when he was not working on it). His love for Fords continued to grow even as his ability to work on the vehicles decreased and he had to pay the dealers to perform the repair work.

Norman was extremely proud of his grandkids and extolled their work ethic and prowess at their chosen occupations whenever he could. Grandson Dalton’s path as a professional steer wrestler elicited special pride and was a particular source of comfort in the waning days of his life. (Norm watched all rodeos and dutifully cursed every “rubber-necked” steer that would not allow for a sub-four-second run.) He celebrated the successes — big and small — of all his grandkids and emphasized commitment to family above all.

Norman is survived by his companion Loretta; sons Kent (Janet), Kurt (Shawn), Kevin (Leslie) and Kraig (Bobbie); daughter Kara Cook (Scott); 12 grandchildren; 10 great-grandchildren; and three siblings, sister Fay Flagg and brothers Clayton and Robert. Norman is preceded in death by his second wife, Helen; a son Keith; and 11 siblings: brothers Wayne, Donald, Gary, George, Joseph, Jr., Lee and Douglas, and sisters Donna, Bernice Waltz and Kathy Roloff.

A celebration of life for Norman J. Massey will be held at 1 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 17, 2023, at Bread of Life Ministry at 140 14th Ave. NW, Ephrata, Wash., with appetizers to follow. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Bread of Life Ministry Church.

Those wishing to sign Norman’s online memorial book may do so at https://bit.ly/NormanMassey.