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Ione Sabin Norman
Born: 1/1/1924
Died: 12/15/2014
Age: 90
Community: Vassar, MI
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Ione Sabin Norman (1924 - 2014)
Ione Lucille Norman, 90, Vassar, died Monday, December 15, 2014 at 3:15 p.m. at her son Larry Sabin’s hospice home-away-from-home as he held her hand. After son Jimmy Sabin’s near-fatal auto accident on October 20 and while starting his nearly 4-week hospitalization, Ione was moved the same day by Larry to his Turner home to ably care for her needs. Her death certificate lists Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Pulmonary Fibrosis, and Dementia as contributing factors.
She was born January 1, 1924 in Catawba, Wisconsin, the 7th of 11 children of the late Thomas Joseph and Gertrude Mae (Hansen) Wanish. She proudly graduated from Phillips (WI) High School (1942) as a first for her family. She married U.S. Army Aviation Cadet Charles Fletcher Sabin on June 30, 1942, in Essex, Maryland, and into this union three boys were born. First-love Charles preceded her in death on March 11, 1978. She then in Saginaw married James Wilfred Norman on August 15, 1981, who died on July 15, 1994.
Ione belonged to a variety of churches (Methodist, Lutheran, and Catholic) with the last one being Good News Ministries Lutheran Church in Whittemore, where she donated in 2006 a sum sufficient to build an addition to aid the poor. While raising her family with a strong emphasis on reading and education, she earlier worked at Ternstedt GM (Flint) and – after obtaining at age 36 her LPN credentials from Mott School of Practical Nursing (1960) – worked at Hurley Hospital for 18 years (and helped form a union while there), youth camps, nursing homes, and health care agencies until she retired at age 79 when she was older than many of the patients she cared for. She completed many continuing education courses and seminars to keep her knowledge current and ideas fresh.
She was known as “go-go grandma,” who finagled for the best for kids, recycled family treasures, eased deals, bought kids ice cream cones, arranged interesting day trips for the grands, ran a chainsaw, speared pike, cut up deer, boned off hamburger meat from carcasses so “men” could keep hunting more, pulled kids on tubes behind pontoon boat, and worked a wood splitter handle – all with a generous heart and enthusiasm to boot.
Occasional weekends at the lake were enjoyable, and Ione taught her family to enjoy working outdoors because of her tenacity. There were many times where she was the person who was able to help out other members of the family just when they needed it most. She didn't ask to be paid back and was always dedicated to whatever she was doing. Whether or not her job, or her family tasks, she found a peace of mind in stacking wood, and she taught her family that. She will be missed, her singular sense of humor, and her outlook on the world.
After Charles’ death, Ione retired from Hurley in 1979 and returned to Hale, where she spent a decade in community and church service activities before moving to Vassar in 1991. While in Iosco County, she also joined the Tawas Bay Artists and helped the members paint the inside of the Greystone Building. Ione was sponsored by the Tawas Bay Artists in the Perchville Queen contest, which was based on community service, and won the 1st runner-up title on the Queen’s Court.
Beginning at age 56, Ione swam for 3 years in the Perchville Polar Bear Swim and was featured in 1981 on Channel 5 and Channel 11. Ione had written to P.M. magazine and was instrumental in WNEM-TV coming to East Tawas to film events at Perchville in 1981. She retired from polar bear swims with a Tawas News Herald title of “Polar Bear Queen.”
Ione also became active in 1989 in the political arena and criminal justice reform movement. Vicious attacks on her family (including herself) combined with the tragic death of her grandson Nathaniel via state complicity resulted in nearly 2 decades of rectification efforts. She campaigned vigorously for accountability for state abuse of children by government agencies and helped State Senators Harmon Cropsey and Jack Welborn pass the 1994 Children’s Ombudsman’s Act. She was a prolific letter writer in this and her personal life, both with letters to newspapers and officials as well as encouragements to friends and relatives – her positive way of combating the small-minded, hurtful ignorance and prejudice she for years faced with fortitude.
Besides her parents and husbands, she was preceded in death by one baby son, Charles James Sabin (February 2, 1944), and a favorite grandson, Nathaniel Joseph Sabin (June 21, 1993), who died at age 15 as a result of state abuse. Except for sister Luella Moore, Ione’s siblings – John Wanish, Glenn Wanish, Tom Wanish, Wally Wanish, Vern Wanish, Ruth Zwick Raap, Arlene Vinnedge, Myrtle Thieme, and Viola Leopold Lehman Schleif – are all deceased. Ione’s precious cat of over 10 years (Sophie) in Vassar passed earlier too.
Survivors include two sons, Jimmy Sabin and Larry Sabin (& wife Cindy), sister Luella Moore of Catawba, Wisconsin, close sister-in-law Marie Sabin Pychon of Burton, and dear friend Teresa Osmon of Goodrich. Living grandchildren are Marty Alan (Sabin) Keast, Lydia Joy (Sabin) Hendricks, (Charles) Benjamin Wayne (Sabin) Hendricks, Amy Lynn (Sabin) Vargo & husband James, James C.T. Sabin & wife Tracy, Adam Reade Sabin & wife Jessica, and Aaron Daniel Sabin & wife Sarah. Larry’s cat (Suzy) stayed on the foot of Ione’s bed, as she loved to do to comfort Ione during her last days of life at Turner.
Also a truly important part of Ione’s heritage are 7 great grandchildren: Amanda Michelle Vargo, Alexander James Vargo, Daniel Logan Vargo, Bailey Alexis Sabin, Abigail Dean Sabin, Adam James Sabin, and Andrew Joseph Sabin. Some of these (and most of her grandkids) were recruited with bribes (er, payments) to learn to clean and pick up yards and obtained valuable experience and skills interacting.
A future graveside memorial service is planned. Her 2009 instructions are for “cremation & bury ashes by Dad’s body – R. side of chest.” But she also visited a Hale funeral home in 1989 and provided all basic family information and even independently established a small life insurance policy to pay for cremation and other related expenses. She did this so others would not be unduly burdened by her death. Thus, a special internment time is to be held at the Plainfield Township (Hale) Evergreen Cemetery On Saturday, May 16, 2015 at 1:00 PM to carry out her wishes. Please contact the family for further details.
Funeral arrangements entrusted to the Hale Chapel of the Buresh Funeral Home bureshfuneralhomes@msn.com.
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1/7/2015 |
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| Funeral Service |
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5/16/2015 |
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1:00 PM |
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Plainfield Township (Hale) Esmond Evergreen Cemetary
6190 East Esmond Rd.
Hale, MI 48739Get a Map to this location...
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