Heidi Norton

Heidi Norton, an unforgettable and beloved woman, died on November 20th in her home in Wheat Ridge, Colorado surrounded by loved ones. After living with determination and humor the last 21 years, Heidi finally succumbed to the debilitating effects of a brain tumor.

Heidi was born in St. Moritz, Switzerland on July 7, 1949 to Paul Baechlor and Maria Steiner. Heidi had two brothers, Guido and Reto, and was the middle child. Heidi spoke six languages, went to a boarding school in France and loved to travel. After completing her education she went to Hong Kong to be a nanny for a Swiss family. After enjoying her time in Hong Kong she moved to Colorado in 1969 to be a nanny for the Anderson family of Anderson Camps on Sweetwater Creek, another family with Swiss roots. With the Andersons she quickly became part of the family and fell in love with the area and the three Anderson girls.

Heidi shared so many stories of her time at Anderson Camps. She was the life of the party with a wonderful ability to make anyone laugh. She was also infamous as the local prankster. Short sheeting was one of her favorite pranks, but another joke she would play on unsuspecting camp staff was to make beautiful birthday cakes that were actually horse manure hidden under a colorful coating of frosting. While working for the Andersons, she met Jake Norton at a polka dance at Bernice’s Bar in Eagle. It was love at first sight, and they were married shortly thereafter, on May 11, 1975.

Heidi so loved her time as a nanny that she decided to have children of her own. After trying to become pregnant she was told she would never be able to have kids, but that didn’t discourage her. No one could ever tell Heidi she couldn’t do something! On January 16, 1980 she gave birth to her first child, Sabrina. Not quite two years later she and Jake welcomed their son Paul into the world on December 16, 1981. Heidi and Jake gave their kids an amazing life filled with travel, unconditional love, laughter and passion. Heidi particularly loved watching her kids play sports, she was their #1 fan, always on the side lines ringing a giant Swiss cowbell, and cheering like crazy!

In 1975 Heidi and Jake moved into their dream home on Whiting Court in Eagle where Heidi was able to stay home and raise her kids while she worked part time as a babysitter and cleaning lady. Once the kids were grown Heidi worked at the local grocery store, Beasley’s, for many years. Everyone loved Heidi and knew to watch out for one of her silly pranks. She laughed, got along with everyone and was a reliable and dedicated worker.

During this time, in 1978, Heidi was suffering from what was diagnosed as MS. She had constant pain and had to endure several medical procedures in an unsuccessful effort to ease her suffering. Finally, in 1998, Heidi could no longer stand the headaches and got an MRI which showed she’d been suffering from a large brain tumor rather than MS. That same year she had her first brain surgery. Because the doctors were unable to get all of the tumor she continued to have many of the same symptoms, but as always was determined to live her life and went back to work, this time as everyone’s favorite teller at Alpine Bank where she worked until May of 2001.

In May of 2001 Heidi had a series of mini strokes from a procedure, and then decided to try another brain surgery in the hopes of finally removing the tumor. The first of October, 2001 will be a day the Norton family will remember forever, it was the day that changed everything. From that day on Heidi suffered from seizures, right-sided paralysis, left-sided facial paralysis and had difficulty communicating. Overnight, she went from a functioning adult, who always cared for others, to fully dependent on her family and caregivers. The rest of her life would be filled with therapies, appointments, hospitalizations and full time care. 21 years in a wheelchair was a challenging life to say the least but Heidi maintained an amazing attitude throughout. She smiled, laughed, sang, told us how to do things and never complained. Whenever you asked how she was doing her answer would inevitably be “fabuloso” or “fantastico.”

Throughout all the years of care, hospitalizations and treatments, her devoted husband was always by her side. Jake’s dedication will never be forgotten by his children and all who witnessed it. It was the most amazing display of love any of them had ever seen. He was by her side for every moment, he was selfless, always patient and tender. Simply put, Jake loved Heidi with all his heart.

Heidi is survived by her husband Jake Norton, her daughter Sabrina Plesner, son Paul Norton, son-in-law Henning Plesner, and daughter-in-law Carol Mele.

A memorial service will be held in Lakewood this December, and a celebration of life in the spring in Eagle or Sweetwater, where her ashes will be laid to rest with some of her favorite people there to celebrate her beautiful soul.

The family would like to share their deep appreciation for everyone at Lutheran Collier Hospice. We are forever grateful for their care and devotion.