NORMA DOYLE was the daughter of Waldo Jackson and Delphine Elizabeth [Burrows] Phillips. On Dec. 14, 1957 she was united in marriage to Donald Doyne Doyle at the First Christian Church in Carthage Illinois. Norma was a CNA at the Hancock County Nursing Home in Carthage. She enjoyed Hummingbirds and her flowers and garden. She was also a fan of country and religious music. Her greatest love was her family and the time she spent with them. She especially enjoyed playing cards with her sister Helen and her grandchildren. She also spent alot of time coloring with her grandchildren. Norma always looked forward to company and Sunday afternoons in particular because all of her children would come over. She was very proud of the deck that Rex, Bryant, & Susie built and lived for the time that she could sit out on it with her husband and friends. Her husband Don was the love of her life. They celebrated 47 1/2 beautiful years together and had 7 children and 13 grandchildren that she & Don adored. Their children are Rex, Donnie, Wilma, Connie, Carla, Julie, & Michael. Their grandchildren are Bryant & Brokk Doyle, Ryan & Brandon Leake, Dustin & Chelsea Wright, Angela & Mikey Link, Deanna & Denton Bollin, and Kristen, Megan, & Hunter Doyle. Norma had 2 brother's & 2 sister's. Russell "Jake" Phillips [Ruth] of Tennessee Illinois. Helen Sanderson of Carthage Illinois, and Rose Hopson of Hamilton Illinois. Norma also has 2 daughter-in-laws Crystal & Susie Doyle. She has 4 son-in-laws also. Bob Leake, Mike Wright, Mike Link and Doug Bollin. Rose passed away September 16, "2006" and her brother Robert "Bob" Phillips was tragically killed in a car wreck back in "1965" while driving home from work with Helen's husband Jim Sanderson. The young guy that they hit head on was also killed. The sun blinded Jim as he was driving causing the accident. Jim passed away several years back. He took my dad's death very hard. I always felt so sorry for him because he and my dad were good buddies. He was badly injured in the wreck hurting his leg. My sister Shirley was only a year old and Sharon was born the day after our dad's funeral. Bobby was 9 when we lost our dad and he was killed one day after my 12th Birthday. My dad married Rosemary Hull after mine and Bobby's Mother Louise passed away. They were only married about 2 years when he was killed. Norma never did get over losing him and because of his getting killed in that car wreck she never did get a driver's license. We used to sit and talk about my dad quite often. She told me about the last time that she saw him before he was killed. Aunt Norma loved my Mother too and would tell me sweet things about her.Uncle Don worked in the timber with my dad and he & my mom would go to the store together and people thought they were brother & sister. They too were good friends. My Mother died of cancer when she was only 26 years old in 1963. Her name was Loretta Louise Phillips [Land]. I am Bob & Louise's daughter Marge Hillgartner. I was very close to my Aunt Norma & Uncle Don. Norma & I Shared a special bond. I put a magnificent Angel on Aunt Norma's grave because she was "MY EVERYDAY ANGEL"! She & I talked on the phone sometimes 3 times a day. She always said she loved to see me come but hated it when I had to go back home. She always said she treasured all 4 of us. Me, Bob Phillips [Bobby], Shirley Parsano, & Sharon Rayburn. Before Norma died I found out that we had an older brother and I found him which gave our Aunt Norma alot of joy. His name is Robert Earl Loter and he lives in Polk City Iowa with his wife Charlotte. Finding Bob has brought happiness to our family. Norma was a very gentle, loving, caring, giving woman. Aunt Norma had been preparing for Christmas early before she died in July and she got me, Shirley & Sharon beautiful necklace's that are "HEART OF GOLD". She had Wilma order them for her and told Wilma there were 3 hearts inside the heart because we were her 3 girl's! The 3 of us treasure those necklace's and I have a special picture of me & Aunt Norma on my cell phone where it'll always stay. The simple things in life made her happy. She would have LOVED all the poems that I've written since her death! I spent alot of time with her before she died and losing her has been the hardest loss of my life. I lost both of my parents when I was very young and somehow Aunt Norma & I became close when I was 17 years old and expecting my first child.I'd go to yard sales and pick up baby clothes for Jay and when Aunt Norma would come into Grandma's getting ready to go to work I'd show her everything I bought and she'd get so excited! She would call me and have me go to the shelter care and spend time alone with her after she'd get the residents all put to bed for the night. She was always interested in me and back then she was my source of strength with being so young and not having my parents to be there for me. I loved going with Grandma to West Point to pick Aunt Norma up for work. I lived with my Grandmother Delphine for a few months until our son Jay was born and my husband John & I were married July 26, 1971. Norma took a real interest in me which meant so much. She had such a hard life and worked so hard trying to help raise her family while Don took care of the kid's and she always made time for me. She was truly a 2nd Mother to me and I loved her dearly. I miss her terribly as we all do. We used to sit and laugh til we cried at the silliest things. I would go stay all night with her & my Uncle Don and surprise her with special gifts of love that meant the world to her. I loved doing things for them both. Anything to make them happy or to bring a smile to their faces made me happy too. My Aunt Norma was kind and good to everybody. I used to tell her that her home was home away from home to me and she'd say she wanted it to be! I used to tease her when she'd still be in her nightgown at 11:00 in the morning and told her it must be nice to be that popular and she'd just laugh at me. She was the kindest, most tenderhearted person I ever knew. She was beautiful inside and out and my Uncle Don was alot like her. They were 2 of the most wonderful people you could have ever met. Don passed away on his 71st Birthday Oct. 18th of "2006". He was in poor health long before Norma passed away. They will always be dearly loved and deeply missed by everybody. My life hasn't been the same since my Aunt Norma died. I had just spoken to her twice on the 11th of July and she was in bed sick. Our last words to one another were "LOVE YOU...BYE". The next morning at 8:20 I got a call from my cousin Carol Lemley from Carthage telling me that Aunt Norma had passed away early that morning in her home.Nothing has ever dropped me to my knee's like that before except finding out that my mom's sister Marian Shaner & her little 10 year old Granddaughter Sadie had been killed in a terrible car crash right before Aunt Norma died. They were killed by drunk driver's which were also killed. It destroyed my Uncle Wendell & his entire family. Their oldest son Wendell Jr. was seriously injured along with Aunt Marian & Uncle Wendell's Granddaughter Samantha. Praise the Lord they both survived physically but never will mentally. So much was lost that day. Then one year ago last August we lost my Aunt Rose Hopson. Aunt Helen & Uncle Jake are the only 2 that are left now. We've lost so many loved one's in the past 5 years. I can't say enough about what a fantastic person she was to me and to everyone she met. She didn't have an easy life but she was always sweet natured and got along with everybody. She had alot of health problems herself but didn't want to worry her kid's so when she was sick she'd always say she thought she was getting better. Aunt Norma & Uncle Don has many Nieces & Nephews that they loved and were close too. Aunt Norma was like a 2nd Mother to Linda Finton as well. The last time that Shirley & I saw Aunt Norma she told Shirley that she was getting close to her too. Aunt Norma got a kick out of it when Sharon's son Jason would go to school and tell Kristen & Megan Doyle that he went to his Aunt Norma's house Saturday! She thought he was a pretty special little guy and enjoyed it when we girl's would go visit her and take him to see her. Kristen & Megan are so good to help Jason at school and he really likes them alot. Their super special girl's and were a great help to their Grandma & Grandpa Doyle. As you can see by the picture of Aunt Norma sitting on the couch with my brother Bobby that she worshipped him as she did us 3 girl's. She loved it when he'd stop by to see her and help fix things for her. She thought Bob Loter seemed like a pretty nice guy too and said Charlotte was very nice. She always said that Shirley looked more like our dad then any of us kid's and she was right about that. Bob Loter resembles our dad quite a bit too. Aunt Norma was very interested in our meeting with Bob Loter for the first time. She wanted me to call her and let her know how it all went. I called her on my way home from seeing them and it tickled her when I told her that as I sat across the table from him it was like looking into my dad's eyes. It was a very exciting moment for me & Bobby both as it was for John & Julie. The girl's weren't able to be there un-fortunately. Bobby & I left there feeling like we had found ourselves a super sweet new big brother. Our dad & Grandma both would be proud of me for finding him and for making him a part of our family. Aunt Norma had to have a brand new dress just for the Phillips reunion when we Welcomed Bob & Charlotte into our family. Bob's Mother Betty dated our dad right before he met mine & Bobby's Mother Louise Land. It was love at first sight from what my Aunt Rose told me and the rest is history. It's great having another brother. Family's what it's all about! Aunt Norma had me put a big "8x10" photo on her wall in Grandma's room of the 5 of us kid's and our dad. One time when I was at Aunt Norma's her company had just left and I had gone to the dairy queen and bought 2 boxes of chocolate dilly bars. As the last person went out her door I locked it behind me and asked her if she was ready to cheat and have some ice cream with me and she laughed and said "yes"! I had 2 of them while she only had one. She did love her ice cream. She was also a very hospitable person. The second you got inside her front door she'd tell me to go get a pop out of the refrigerator and offer me something to eat. Jenny Land & Judy went to Aunt Norma's alot for lunch and Norma would always try to feed them whatever she had. Aunt Norma was the kind of person who held her feeling's inside most of the time. It was terribly hard on her to watch Don deteriorate daily and not be able to do anything about it. She told me that she lost her husband a long time ago and didn't even get to tell him good-bye and then he out lived her and he told Crystal that he didn't get to tell Norma good-bye. They just loved one another so deeply and poor Aunt Norma couldn't handle the very thought of something happening to Don before her. I believe that things happen for a reason and that God knew exactly what he was doing when he chose to take Aunt Norma home before Don. I don't think I ever saw Uncle Don smile again after losing her the way he did. He was a broken spirit when she passed away. He was only here in body because his heart went with the love of his life...NORMA! I'm so grateful that their both at peace in heaven and out of those tormented bodies and are free and happy and looking down on all of us. I am just thankful for the time I got to personally share with them both as their Niece. There's not a day that doesn't go by that I don't think about Aunt Norma & Uncle Don and look back on my Awesome memories of them and smile or even laugh. All I can say is THANK-YOU GOD FOR THOSE BEAUTIFUL MEMORIES!