Norman Andrew Brimhall

Norman Andrew Brimhall (Norm) was born on November 13, 1934 in Pleasant Grove, Utah to Rulon Wells and Ida Hone Brimhall. He was the fourth of six children with three brothers: Willis, James, and Eugene; and two sisters: Louise and Deanna. For the last thirteen years of his life, Norman lived with the disabling effects of a massive hemorrhagic stroke and was lovingly cared for by his wife for the majority of that time. On August 18, 2021, while living in skilled nursing at Meadowpeak Rehabilitation Center in Taylorsville, Utah, he at long last went home to his Father and Mother in Heaven. He was 86 years old. He joined his parents, James, Louise, Eugene, and Deanna, who preceded him in death. He is survived by his eldest brother, Willis and his wife Lynette McRae, his brother-in-law Uwe Hansen (Louise), his sister-in-law Rosie Burton (James), his sister-in-law Judy Hillam (Eugene), his brother-in-law and sister-in-law Dennis and Karen McComb, and his wife Marcia, his children and grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews. 

Norm earned a master’s degree in Recreation Management at Brigham Young University. He furthered his education in technical writing and had a successful career in computer technology for more than 40 years. Norm was known by his family and friends as a human thesaurus and wordsmith, and his wife, Marcia, jokes that he used such big words that she often needed to carry a dictionary in order to understand him when he spoke. He served in the army February 8, 1955 to February 7, 1957. He worked at Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas, as a prison guard. On one occasion, an inmate nearly took Norm’s life with a sickle. Thankfully, he survived to marry and raise a family.

He married Marcia Anne Rayner in her parents’ home in Wellesley, Massachusetts on June 11, 1965.  She had just become a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. A year later, they were sealed for time and all eternity in the Salt Lake Temple. They were married for fifty-six years. They raised four children in New England: Robert James (RJ), Pamela Dawn (Dawn), Rebecca Jeanne (Becki), and Brent Rayner. The family loved to spend summers together boating, water skiing, and swimming at Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire where they had a condo. Their favorite activity was taking leisurely boat rides to the restaurant Bonanza and eating at the all-you-can-eat buffet.

His whole life, Norm was a true blue BYU Cougars Fan. At every game he screamed at the top of his lungs. During one particular football game, he ruptured his stitches from a recent hernia operation by his exuberant vociferations (you, like Marcia, may need a dictionary for this big word) and had to undergo another surgery to repair it. He enjoyed hunting and fishing; a highlight of his life was a fishing trip to Alaska with his brother Willis and nephews, Greg and Scott. He also enjoyed playing the piano, taking long walks, and ballroom dancing. He was a ballroom dance teacher at BYU while a graduate student there.  The cha cha was his favorite dance.  In his final days, the anticipation of dancing in Heaven, free from the bondage of a broken body, gave him great peace.

Norm was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He loved the Lord and enjoyed serving in many church assignments throughout his life, and he remained faithful until the end. Once their children were grown, Norm and Marcia did a service mission for the church in North Carolina. They took care of the young full-time missionaries by checking in on them, inspecting their apartments, and baking cookies for them monthly. 

In retirement, Norm and Marcia bought a lakefront home in North Carolina where they spent the winters and a lakeview condo in Saratoga Springs, UT, where they spent the summers. This allowed them to spend quality time with their children and grandchildren on opposite sides of the country. Norm’s Utah grandchildren recall that of all the people who have attempted it, he was the best at pulling them on a tube behind the ski boat! Norm had great joy in watching his seven grandchildren grow up: David Steven, son of RJ and Mary Kellis; Corinne and Connor, children of Dawn and Mike Britt; and Alessia, Aaron Jr., Gabrielle, and Nathanael, children of Becki and Aaron Love.

In November 2018, Norm and Marcia found a lovely home and community of friends at Summit Vista Independent Living in Taylorsville, UT. He enjoyed motoring on his wheelchair throughout the hallways and being greeted by the many friendly faces in his new home. He also found great joy in being with his family and close friends at extended family gatherings. His greatest comfort was Marcia, on whom he relied for care and support. He was truly appreciative of  her sacrifice and expressed his gratitude often. He always told Marcia that she was his “angel” and he loved her dearly.

A funeral service will be held on Friday, September 17, 2021 at 11:00 a.m. at the Stonewood Ward meeting house of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 6030 S. Prairie View Dr., Taylorsville, Utah. Norm will be laid to rest at a graveside service that same day at 2:30 p.m. at the Utah Veterans Cemetery & Memorial Park, 17111 South Camp Williams Road, Bluffdale, Utah.

In lieu of  sending flowers, please consider a donation to Camp Hobe, a summer camp near Tooele, Utah for kids with cancer and their siblings. Norm’s grandson, Nathanael, is a leukemia survivor and he and his siblings spent several wonderful summers there. You may make a secure, tax-deductible donation through Venmo: User name is @camp-hobe-1; The verification phone number ends in 2605. https://www.camphobekids.org/