Norma L. Spear

Norma Louise Rowland White Spear was born on March 6, 1933, in Des Arc, Mo., to the late Rev. A.C. and Marie Rowland. Her father was a Nazarene pastor and evangelist who traveled the family around the area for revivals.

After they moved to Nashville, TN, where her father pastored Bethel Church of the Nazarene, she met Jasper White. The two married in 1954 and graduated from Trevecca Nazarene College in 1955. Norma received her graduate degree, +60 in education from Middle Tennessee Teacher’s College in Murfreesboro, Tenn.

Norma and Jasper had 35 years of a loving marriage and lived what they preached in front of their children. They gave a full life of love to their children and passed on to them the gifts of faith in God, loyalty, integrity, service to others, and hard work. While together, Norma and Jasper always poured into serving others for the Kingdom cause.

While she loved her role as a pastor’s wife serving churches in Ohio, Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana and Florida, Norma also flourished as an English teacher. She taught at the elementary, secondary and college levels and spent approximately 15 years as a full-time and adjunct professor at Trevecca Nazarene University.

Jasper died unexpectedly in 1989. In 1993, Norma married a widower and dear family friend, Dr. Robert Spear who was the Superintendent of the Southern Florida District Church of the Nazarene. They had 15 fulfilling and devoted years of marriage, and also continued to jointly carry on the blessing of serving others and demonstrating their faith to all who crossed their paths until Bob’s death in 2007.

Norma overcame the pain of the death of two dearly loved husbands and continued to serve her purpose in service to the church and to her students at Trevecca. She took pride in her grammar knowledge and had an innate gift of teaching grammar and writing; her students connected with her on a level deeper than the subject. She was intentional about making people feel happy each day, whether that be at the grocery store or walking her dog in the neighborhood. She enjoyed entertaining and staying on the go with family and friends, home decor, shopping, traveling, laughing with her sister and brother, organizing events, helping to solve people's needs, and loving on her grandchildren. In her later years, she treasured Bubbles, her Yorkshire terrier and proudly used her as a service dog to brighten others' days. To truly know Norma was to know her exceptional trait of determination and independence that allowed and carried her to 92 years of age.

Norma will be sorely missed on earth by her family and friends, but those family and friends have the irrefutable knowledge that they will see her again and that she is in perfect peace and happiness with those who have gone before.

She was preceded in death by her sister, Miriam Shomo, her brother-in-law, Phil Shomo and her bonus son, Jim Spear.

She is survived by her brother, Terry (Judy) Rowland; children, Eddie (Vicki) White and Sherri (Bob) Barnhart; bonus children, Ann Spear, Joy (David) Wilson, and Bob (Trish) Spear; grandchildren, Taylor (Allison) White, Jayni Barnhart, and Jayci Barnhart; bonus grandchildren Chris (Amy) Spear, Michael (Bernadette) Spear, Bethany (Chester) Woods, Tiffany (Josh) Manson, Chip (Katie) Wilson, Ellen (Nathan) McClanahan, Emily (Austin) Butler; great grandson, Rowland White; bonus great grandchildren, Madeline, Meghan, Mary and Michelle Spear, Billie Rose Spear, Isabella and Brady Woods, Nora and Clayton Manson, Cole and Emma Wilson, Carter McClanahan; and beloved dog, Bubbles.

A Celebration of Life will be held Thursday, July 3, at 11:00 am at Nashville First Church of the Nazarene, (Norma's home church) Heritage Chapel, 510 Woodland Street Nashville, TN. Visitation will be held one hour before the service, and burial will follow at Hermitage Memorial Gardens.