Norma May "Toots" Stephens

VICTOR - Norma May "Toots" Stephens, 74, of Victor passed away Saturday, October 20, 2012 at St. Patrick's Hospital. She was born Oct. 17, 1938 in Dillon, Montana, the daughter of the late Roscoe H. and Norma (Chatterton) Drown.

Norma grew up in Burbank, California, where she often worked alongside her father in Wild West shows. She graduated from Burbank High School in 1958. In the same year, she married Buford W. "Ace" Stephens, a sailor in the US Navy. At the time of her passing, the two had been married for 54 years.

Norma moved to the Bitterroot Valley in 1971 with her family. She worked for many years as a daycare provider, then as a substitute teacher at Victor, Corvallis, and Hamilton schools. She found great joy in spending time with her students and looked forward to opportunities to teach.

Norma is survived by her husband Ace of Victor; daughter Bambi and her partner Rey of Portland, Oregon; son Steve and his wife Nicole of Nashville, Tennessee; sister Linda and her husband Glenn Olbert of Victor, brother Richard and his wife Marilyn of Burbank, California; four grandchildren, and two great grandchildren.