NORMA SPARKS CROUCH, 90, of Ankeny, and formerly of Newton, Iowa, passed away Thursday morning, February 16, 2017 in the University Park Care and Rehab Center in Des Moines.

Memorial services will be held on Monday, February 20th, at 11 a.m. at the Ankeny First United Methodist Church in Ankeny, Iowa. Rev. Charles Tefft will officiate. There will be no visitation.

Graveside services will be held on Tuesday, February 21st at 2 p.m. at the Sunset View Cemetery in Washta, Iowa. Pastor Barb Dinelli will officiate. The Boothby Funeral Home in Cherokee, Iowa is assisting the family with the arrangements. Online condolences can be left at www.boothbyfuneral.com

Norma was born to Elmer DeWitt Sparks and June J. Ellsworth Sparks near a Jasper County home on June 30, 1926. She was a graduate of Newton High School, the Class of 1944. In May of 2014 she celebrated her 70th high school class reunion at a gathering in Newton. Norma attended Iowa State College for 3 years, majoring in applied art. She married her sweetheart, Gregg Crouch on June 5, 1948 in Ames, Iowa. They were married for 60 years prior to Gregg's passing in 2008. Norma had quit her studies to support Gregg finishing his studies at Drake, and then later to help support her family. She worked for Heartland Education Agency for 15 years, sending out the book orders to all the teachers in Area 11, prior to her retirement.

Norma and Gregg had two children, Eric and Marcene. As a couple for 60 years, they enjoyed playing cards with friends and extensive travels, including England, Ireland, Hawaii, Paris, and through the United States. She loved Iowa, and visited many of the county court houses in the state. Norma was an avid reader after college. Other hobbies included gardening, all kinds of crafts, genealogy studies and various collections: buttons, stamps, pens & pencils. She was a member of the Ankeny First United Methodist Church, had been secretary for many years of the United Methodist Women and on the Church's library board for several years. Norma also volunteered at the Iowa State Fair as an information person. She enjoyed gardening and was part of the Union Park Garden Club in Des Moines and formed and taught Ankeny Junior Garden Club and Ankeny Garden Club as acting president. She won many awards at the Iowa State Fair for her flower arrangements. One favorite memory of Norma's was a childhood classmate's statement to her when they were much older and grown up with families was "you were the biggest Tomboy when we were kids, and now look at you, a sophisticated lady."

Norma was shy, and had strong convictions throughout her life. She was generous, giving financially to multiple charitable organizations, and volunteering her time and talents. She will be missed by those closest to her.

She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Gregg E. Crouch on June 24, 2008, and a sister and brother-in-law Velma Jean (Dean) Price.

She is survived by her two children: Marcene Daniel (Kenneth Bennett) of Shellsburg, Iowa; Eric Crouch (David Sharp) of Ankeny, Iowa; brother-in-law: Gary (Nancy) Crouch of Washta, Iowa; a nephew Michael Crouch of Indiana; a niece Amy Crouch of Remsen, Iowa; also two great nephews and one great niece.

Memorials may be made to the Ankeny First United Methodist Church or an organization for the blind, as Norma was legally blind from macular degeneration for the last 10 years and benefitted from their services, listening rather than reading multiple books.