Norma Faye Gertsch (Hellbusch), 84, passed away peacefully entering God's rest on Sunday February 6, 2022, with family at her side. She was diagnosed with cancer in April of 2021 and then relocated to Houston, Texas, to be near her two children Leon and Lisa. She enjoyed several months of spending the day's at Lisa's house, going on errands, watching golfers go by, and of course going out for Tex-Mex food Friday evenings.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, April 2, 2022, at 10:30 AM, at St. John's Lutheran Church, 12.5 North of Columbus, Nebraska, with Rev. Brad Birtell officiating. Interment will be in the parish cemetery. The family will greet friends at a luncheon in the church fellowship after the committal.

Norma was born June 20, 1937, on a farm near Creston, NE to Clarence and Elaine Hellbusch. She attended school at Saint John's Lutheran Church and School, Creston High School, and then Norfolk Junior College. On August 29, 1958, she married Russell Gertsch in Fort Devon, MA, and then joined him in Frankfurt, Germany while he served in the US Army. While in Germany her son Leon was born.

After Russell was honorably discharged from the Army the three returned to Columbus, NE where her daughter Lisa was born. The family of four lived in the Nebraska communities of Columbus, Lincoln, Norfolk, and finally Aurora where Leon and Lisa both graduated from high school.

When the nest was empty, Russ and Norma then relocated to Park Ridge, IL (Chicago) where Norma worked at the Bradford Exchange. Russ and Norma made many friends at church and while playing bridge and these friends joined them at a dinner in a celebration of their 60th wedding anniversary on August 29th 2018. In their retirement years they traveled around the US (sometimes in their camper) and ventured overseas to Australia, New Zealand, and Russia. Norma loved sports of all kinds including baseball, football, basketball, women's college volleyball, anything the Cornhuskers were playing, as well as rooting for the Chicago teams……as long as the Cubs weren't playing the Cardinals, that is.

She was preceded in death by her husband Russell, parents, and sister Marlene Bachman (Marvin). Left with memories of her are son Leon Gertsch (Woodlands, TX) daughter Lisa Gertsch and Derek Dumas (Woodlands, TX), four grandchildren Sean Gertsch (Sturgis, SD), Karsten Lutz (Las Vegas, NV), Merete Lutz (Houston TX), Drew Gertsch (Sturgis, SD) and several nieces, nephews, and cousins.