Norman Joseph McLoughlin

Norman Joseph McLoughlin (“Norm”) was born and raised in Battle Creek, Michigan. As a boy, he enjoyed exploring all over on his own and with friends, and he especially liked to visit the army base there, where if he did a favor for a soldier, they would take him up for a ride in their airplane! His love of baseball began during those years and as a teenager he and his friends often went to games in Chicago and Detroit. He attended Western Michigan University, but then joined the army and was sent to Munich. There he learned German, taught math, and took various trips when on leave, among them going to Ireland (the land of his heritage) and Greece. He later joined his brother in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where he studied mathematics and geology, graduating from the University of New Mexico. In 1964 he met his wife-to-be, Betsy (Wiemer), at a UNM exercise class to help people get in shape to go skiing. Betsy had never skied before, so while teaching her to ski, Norman wooed her on the slopes of the Taos and Santa Fe ski resorts. They were married on August 7, 1965, in her home town of Bartlesville, Oklahoma, and spent their first year of marriage teaching in a small rural K-12 adobe school in La Joya, NM. They thoroughly enjoyed their bilingual students there, but the school closed and they moved to Denver, where Norman taught math as he had done before. Most of his working life, though, was spent in sales. He was a stockbroker in Denver and later was in computer sales where he worked for Control Data in Sacramento, California. Their son, Brian Sean, was born there in 1969. Missing Colorado, they returned to the Denver area, living in Littleton for a number of years as their son grew up. Norman enjoyed working with him on a number of outdoor and woodworking projects during those years. A new job offer took them out to California again, this time to Orange County, where they loved the ocean, but again “Colorado” called them back. They picked Grand Junction to move to in the spring of 1986 and never once regretted that choice -- it truly became home for them. Here, Norman developed his own business, Western Slope Marketing, but then he and Betsy both retired and were able to enjoy even more one of their favorite activities -- traveling. For a month during their second summer of marriage when they were both teaching, they had traveled in Europe, from Ireland through German, Austria, and Switzerland, and on to Spain. Throughout the years, they enjoyed car trips (which they loved) across Colorado and Kansas to visit Betsy’s parents in Oklahoma, other car trips to Norman’s hometown of Battle Creek, a train trip to Chicago during one Christmas season, along with trips all over Colorado, including many to Ouray and other places on the Western Slope. They celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in 2015 at a cabin in Twin Lakes, south of Ouray. After Betsy retired from teaching Spanish at Mesa State College (CMU), they thoroughly enjoyed four “do it yourself” trips to England, Scotland, and France, re-visiting each time a number of favorite regions and cities and discovering other “off the beaten track” places on their own. (One bit of excitement included Norm driving at about 70 mph on a three-lane roundabout in England!). They loved the small towns, but also enjoyed London and Paris, of which Norman (who had been reluctant to go to France) said once, “it’s just like in the movies!” During his thirty-three years in Grand Junction, Norman enjoyed a variety of interests, among them, fly-fishing, photography, model trains and cars, and woodworking. He built a huge bookcase, a large table, a several-shelved stand, and more. He also loved listening to jazz, country western music, gospel music and spirituals -- as well as Bach! Coffee with friends, enjoying downtown restaurants and activities, outings to Grand Mesa and “the Monument,” movies, JUCO games, watching TV with Betsy, coffee at Main Street Bagels and Traders -- these were all some of Norman’s many pleasures. In his later years, he had various health issues, including the loss of sight in his right eye in 2012, a stroke in 2013 (followed by a trip to France where he managed a spiral staircase in an old castle), and later a heart attack in 2017. He faced all of these challenges with quiet courage and a good spirit. As a result of a fall on June 8, Norman broke five ribs and ended up in St. Mary’s Hospital, where he passed away on June 14. That day was Flag Day, and it was appropriate because he always liked to hang the flag in front of the house on all the dates that people hung out the flag. Norman will be well remembered as a good man, a kind man, a man who always enjoyed joking and laughing, a man who deeply loved his wife and son. He will be missed! Norman was preceded in death by his parents and his brother Gordon and his sister Lu. He is survived by his wife and son and a number of nieces and nephews. A Celebration of Life service is planned for him on Friday, July 26, at 11:00 AM at the First Congregational Church, 1425 No. 5th Street. (Donations may be made to Grand Valley Catholic Outreach, 245 So. 1st St., GJ, CO 81501.)