Norma Paltzer

Norma Paltzer, age 92, was born on December 3, 1925 in Independence, Missouri, to Viola and Marlan Radmall, a World War I veteran. During her youth, her family lived both in town and on the family farm. When grown, she graduated with a degree in domestic science from the University of Iowa in Ames.

While at college, Norma met both her husbands on the same night over a game of ping-pong. Until his death, she was married to Kenneth Mellerop for 22 years. Later, she was married to Clifford Paltzer for 35 years. Both men served in the navy.

She lived in various Midwestern towns, spending the longest time in Madison, WI and New Paltz, New York. Over the years she worked at various jobs, including waitressing, house cleaning, and secretarial work, as well as raising two daughters, Valerie and Vivian. In addition, she did extensive volunteering to help those less fortunate and other women in the AA recovery community.

She traveled extensively with Cliff, visiting Europe, Canada, the western states, the Virgin Islands, and Alaska. They also hiked on many of New York's Shawangunk and Catskill mountains. She enjoyed skydiving, jumping on her 75th, 80th, and 85th birthdays (her Dr. nixed her desire to jump on her 90th). She also rode in a hot air balloon, an airplane glider, and a fast sports car. Norma enjoyed gardening and bird-watching. She appreciated all of nature's small beauties and loved cats.

Norma was hard-working, thrifty, kind, warm, strong-willed, feisty, and a good friend to many. She will be greatly missed by her daughters and sons-in-law, Michael Jaeger and Neil Nierenberg, as well as her four grandchildren, Richard, Matthew, Corinne, and Lily, ten great-grandchildren, and Cliff's nephews and nieces, particularly Arlene and Willene. She is also survived by many friends.

Memorial service will be held at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday July, 29, 2018 at the Jefferson, 9401 Old Sauk Rd., Middleton.