Norma Ruth Curtis Gilmore of Pittsburg, Kansas, passed from this life in the comfort of her home, surrounded by her loved ones on June 2, 2025. She will be deeply missed by her family and friends.
Norma was born on June 25, 1931, to Cecil and Ruth Trudgeon Curtis in West Mineral, Kansas, in their family home. She was raised and educated in West Mineral, a town in which her English/Scottish grandparents were some of the early settlers. In her childhood, she enjoyed the comfort of a rural community, filled with immigrants from various countries who all loved to share their cultures and take care of one another. In 1948, she graduated from West Mineral Rural High School. She maintained a strong and active presence in her hometown throughout her lifetime via various activities such as Big Brutus Polka Fest and Mineral Annual Summer Holiday Parades.
On September 16, 1950, Norma married Peter Gilmore. They had 3 daughters, Sue Ann, Marcia and Kathy. As a stay-at-home wife and mother, she enjoyed a rich and rewarding life. Family always came first for Norma. She was a Girl Scout leader, PTA member, and supported her daughters in all their activities. When she became a grandmother, she took immense pride in teaching them all about their heritage as well as life skills. She nurtured them, in all ways, only Grandma could.
Norma and Pete shared a passion for restoring and renovating homes, years before it became popular. With their paint-streaked clothes, endless trips to the lumber yard and their vision they created beauty in overlooked houses. This was the hallmark of their life together. Independently Norma was her own artist. She was a self-taught oil painter, furniture restorer, seamstress, quilter, and a cook. She loved to decorate homes and had a special flair for displaying antiques. When she became a quilter, she met with her quilting friends monthly before they all joined the Little Balkan’s Quilt Guild Inc. Her most recent accomplishment was a first-place blue ribbon for her Route 66 quilt in the Little Balkan’s Quilt show in 2023. Her needle art was nothing short of exquisite- each embroidered piece a testament to her artistic talent.
Norma held memberships in Bakers Extension Unit, Pauline’s Toy Makers, Beta Sigma Phi, Red Hat Society, Zone 6 Garden Club, and the Fraternal Order of Eagles in West Mineral.
Norma is preceded by her husband, Pete, her parents, and her brothers Jack and Dick Curtis.
Survivors include her daughters, Sue Ann Gilmore, Marcia Gilmore and Kathy (Doug) Ewing. Her grandchildren, Kimberly (Tyler) Logan, Marisa (Matt) Jones, and Margaux (Jared) Costin. Her great grandchildren, Addison, Gracie, and Grant Hildebrandt, Jentry, Ely, and Bryer Costin, Max and Shelby Jones and Blyke, Bailey and Claire Logan, her sisters-in-law Janet Curtis and Rose Ella Wente, many dear nieces, nephews, and cousins.
The service will be on June 13th, 2025, at 1:30 P.M. at the Ft. Scott National Cemetery. Please join us in celebrating Norma’s life for High Tea on June 14, 2025, at 2:00 P.M. at The Presbyterian Church in Pittsburg, Kansas.
Memorial contributions can be made to The First United Methodist Church in West Mineral, KS, or Harry Hynes Hospice Services of Pittsburg, KS.
