Getting to Know You: Norma Olsen

a column dedicated to the folks in the pews

Written by Dale Buchanan

Our special person from the pew this week is Norma Olsen, and she reminded me immediately that it is Olsen with an “E.” While every “pew person” is special, I must explain right from the outset that Norma is 104 years old. Norma, her husband, and their two children were members of First Congregational Church when it moved in 1948 from its location on San Pablo and Divisadero to the present location which became affectionately known as the Big Red Church.

Norma was born in Fowler in 1914. One of the places she lived as a child was Badger, California, a small community in the hills of Tulare County. There is a photo of her at age six in the woods of Badger. At age fourteen her family moved to Cambria on the Central coast. Her reply when questioned about where she grew up was, “I grew up on the beach, in the mountains, and in the valley.”

The opportunity to visit with Norma was a privilege. She lives in a lovely apartment at San Joaquin Gardens. It is in this homey space that Norma has tastefully created an enchanting collage of those things that have marked her life.

Gayle took me with her on one of her regular visits to Norma. I was seated in a comfortable overstuffed chair, Norma in her special chair, and Gayle in a kitchen chair pulled up near this regal lady. They were immediately engaged in conversation. My voice was in a range that Norma had difficulty hearing so Gayle led the discussion, and I occasionally asked a question which Gayle relayed to Norma, and so we proceeded.

Sitting as a centerpiece on a table between Norma and me, I spotted a small glass display case chocked full of tiny, but to me unidentifiable objects. “Gayle, ask her about these things in the case.”  “Why they are thimbles,” Norma replied. Tenderly, almost reverently, the case was picked up, the door opened, and a tiny thimble was removed. “This one belonged to my grandmother. Look how tiny her finger must have been.”  Grandma’s thimble went back into the case and another appeared in her hand delicately held by her thumb and forefinger. “This one came from Alaska and was made of sealskin.” It turned out that this little glass case of tiny thimbles collected from everywhere she and her husband traveled was a treasure of history and memory.

On the shelf across the room was a neat stack of books. I pointed at them and Gayle asked her to tell us about them. “Oh, those are my memoirs.”  That got my attention. “Norma, why did you start writing memoirs?” After raising my two children and retiring from many years of teaching second graders, I was tired of sitting around doing nothing. My niece Janice Stevens had just started a class teaching memoirs and I went to that and just kept writing.”  Now I was really excited because Janice Stevens teaches the memoirs class I attend. Such a small world!

Her niece Janice wrote this about Norma:
Aunt Norma is a treasure trove of family history. She has always inspired me with her wit and creativity! Her latest collection of memoirs, poems, and family pictures, Final Finale, adds to the decades of life history she has shared with us.

Around the room we went with Gayle gently prompting, me scribbling as fast as I could, and Norma sharing what niece Janice calls “decades of life history.” A cut glass dish that she bought at a Big Red rummage sale gave us a glimpse into her many years of involvement in Women’s Fellowship preparing meals and having rummage sales. This led to Norma’s recollection and joy in being a part of the Women’s Rhythm Choir which introduced sacred dance to worship. She recalls fondly their performance of the Lord’s Prayer. The Rhythm Choir survives today as the Morning Star Dancers and is an integral part of the music program at Big Red.

Norma was getting tired, I was wanting more, and Gayle said, “The towel, Dale,” which is her way of saying, “Enough already!”

Norma graciously escorted us to the door and her last comment was, “My life has not been remarkable or especially noteworthy, but it has been rewarding in a host of ways.”

“Dear Norma, would that I should experience such an ordinary 104 years!”

Dale Buchanan is a member of FCCF with a passion for stories and writing. In between penning his own memoirs, he is helping us get to know our members, one pew at a time.