09/21/2016
Normie Nystedt McMichael
September 3, 1926 - September 11, 2016
Normie McMichael passed away quietly at her home south of Amite on the evening of September 11, 2016. She was 90 years old. She loved life, family, friends, and church. Born Norma Marie Nystedt on September 3, 1926 in St. Charles, Illinois, she was the youngest of the four children of John and Nina Nystedt. The family later moved to Dundee, Illinois. After high school, Normie attended Iowa State University, where she was a member of the Sigma Kappa sorority. She graduated from Iowa State in 1949 with a Bachelor's of Science in Home Economics. She met her future husband, Robert Wilson McMichael, following the marriage of her sister, Louise to his brother, Philip. Normie and Robert were married August 23, 1952 in Elgin, Illinois. They lived out their lives on the family farm south of Amite. Together, they had four children: Wilson, Nina, Tim, and David (who died in infancy). Known locally for her work in education and for her quiet passion for her church, Normie brought a quick wit and feisty sense of humor to everything she did. “Miss Normie” was the favorite teacher of generations of Amite elementary students, teaching for nearly thirty years at the Ella Strickland Elementary School. She also taught Adult Sunday School classes at the First United Methodist Church in Amite and was active in the Susie Reid Circle. Always one to care about others, she spent several years making and distributing cassette recordings of the weekly sermons to homebound parishioners. Perhaps Normie’s greatest fame came from her incredible cinnamon bread, a heavenly concoction of thinly-rolled dough, cinnamon, sugar, butter, and love, the taste of which defies description. This was bread that was known to strain friendships and prompt serious bidding wars at church auctions. Thankfully, the recipe has been passed down and lives on. Normie was preceded in death by Robert McMichael, her husband of 51 years; by her son David; by her parents, John and Nina; and by her siblings, Warren, Ruth, and Louise. She leaves behind her three children, five grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren. Visitation at First United Methodist Church from 9 a.m. until religious services at 11 a.m. on Saturday, September 17, 2016. Interment Mulberry Street Cemetery, Amite. McKneely Funeral Home, Amite, in charge of arrangements. For an online guestbook, visit http://www.mckneelys.com.
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