Norma Frick

Aug 15, 1934 -

Oct 21, 2022

Born Norma Jean Daane on Aug. 15, 1934, to National Sheep Shear Champion Elmer Daane and Blanche Wagner, a young couple in Sturgis, S.D. Dad organized and ran a traveling sheep shear crew up and down the west coast, built dams and roads, and pursued flying. I attended many schools, but by third grade we kids stayed in Sturgis; there were just too many of us, 12 in all, I being the second oldest and one of only two girls in the family. A large family even for South Dakota standards. Guitar, clarinet and piano kept my attention, and I was the accompanist for band, orchestra, chorus and musicals, and did all the small-town activities such as basketball, softball, volleyball, girls club and scouts, and learned to drive and dance. Career choices for girls in the 1950s were limited to secretary, teacher, nurse, so I attended college in the Black Hills, taught in a country one-room school, saved my salary, then flew to Colorado with my dad, who was a small plane pilot, with the plan to earn a teaching degree. I did. I chose Colorado because my dad placed a map on the table, drew a circle on it and said I could go to college anywhere within the circle, because that is as far as he could fly on a tank of gas. I believed I would be a good teacher after my experience in the one-room schoolhouse when I observed the students "get it." The light and understanding in their eyes was the motivation I needed, and I settled on a teaching college in Greeley, Colo. While in college I met Bill Frick, we danced, got married in '54, and had Bill and Rhonda while I was in college. Graduating in '57, we signed a contract to teach in Alaska, traveling the Alcan in our new yellow '57 Chevrolet was long, rocky and pretty exciting until we arrived in Anchorage: it had little pavement, and a population of 35,000 and obviously just coming out of tent city status. We wondered if we had made a huge error. However, we met our sponsors, found childcare and started work. Working with Glenn Norton, I was doing all the music and performance activities designing sets, painting posters, staging plays and teaching 2nd and 5th grade. Within a year I had my daughter Kerry, followed by my son Kirby '61. I modeled fur coats for David Green and even obtained a few. Our children became good athletes and good people, and as parents we watched their activities and growth avidly. I taught English, art and music at a few schools, North Star, East, Clark, Dimond, before earning my masters and becoming a principal in the early 70s, ending my career as the principal of Inlet View, receiving a memorable retirement party by staff, parents and students. I produced some pretty decent paintings and sculptures over the years, won a few state and national prizes. Bill and I retired and moved to Rocky Lake in the Mat-Su. We both loved our students and enjoyed you all, even your parents. One valedictorian, during her graduation speech, made me very proud when she thanked and credited me, as her fifth grade teacher, with her yearning to learn. We even missed you when we retired. I hope to have encouraged a few of you out there and know that you were worth my time and attention. It's been a good life, but as I write this, I'll have to admit that I'd take another 50 years or so.

The matriarch of our family, Norma Jean Frick, was a brilliant and talented woman. She studied extensively at the universities of Colorado, Nevada, Hawaii, and Alaska. Norma was a member of the National Art Educators Assoc., and organized the student artwork of Alaska at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. She produced numerous publications for the Alaska School District, belonged to numerous affiliations such as the Alaska Artist's Guild, the Alaska Principal Association, the Executive Board of the National Art Education Association and was Chair and Director for the ASD Art and Curriculum Committees. As an accomplished artist, her own works in painting and sculpture received numerous awards in many local and national venues; see Facebook for the full list.

Beginning in 1957, Norma taught English, music and art for the ASD, much of that at Clark, East and Dimond, rounding out her career as Principal of Inlet View Elementary. When she retired, she said she missed all of it. In her later years, Norma ran for and became President of the Mat-Su Senior Center, continuing to enrich the lives of those she encountered as she had throughout her life.

Norma died eight weeks after she lost her husband of 68 years and the love of her life. She died in Alaska, surrounded by family and friends at the Rocky Lake home she and her husband built with their own hands. She was preceded in death by her husband, William; son, Bill; daughter, Rhonda; sister; and three brothers. She is survived by her daughter, Kerry; son, Kirby; grandchildren, Bruce, Desiree, Connor, Logan; great-grandchildren, Darion, Deja'Rae, Franklin, Lincoln; and seven brothers.

A celebration of life will be announced after the first of the year 2023, full obit is available on Facebook.