Norma Jean Thayer

1935 - 2020

Norma Jean (Hutcheson) Thayer

August 19, 1935 – November 28, 2020

Norma Jean (Hutcheson) Thayer, 85, passed away on November 28, 2020 at her home in Corvallis, Oregon. She was born on August 19, 1935 in Stuart, NE the ninth child of Leslie "Shorty" and Sadie (Moss) Hutcheson of Long Pine, Nebraska.

Jean married Billy Edward Thayer on September 11, 1954 in Long Pine, Nebraska. After their marriage Bill spent ten years in the Air Force stationed in Bellville, Illinois, Laredo, Texas and Denver, Colorado. They moved to Loveland, Colorado when Bill joined Hewlett-Packard. The couple has resided in Corvallis since 1977 when Bill transferred to the Hewlett-Packard facility as an engineer designing integrated circuits.

Jean was vivacious, enthusiastic and out-going. Her exuberance touched the hearts of friends, relatives and strangers.

In her early years, Jean mastered floral and vegetable gardening on the family's mini-farm in Colorado. She discovered a passion for interior design and became a trendsetter. In 1972 she was featured in the Loveland Reporter-Herald for decorating her home in what she called, "Early garage sale with a dash of old Salvation Army." Considered unusual at the time, she scoured garage sales for furniture and household items that she refurbished to design magazine quality living spaces.

She turned her passion into a business in the 1980's when she formed Jean Thayer Interior Design. The couple's outdoor living space that she designed was featured in the Corvallis Gazette-Times in 2005 for the beauty of its pond, decks, pergolas, lighting and gazebo.

She also volunteered for many years and lent her collection of vintage and antique clothing to style shows to raise money for charity.

Jean spent hours planning memorable trips for her grandchildren to state parks and events. She took them to Nebraska to trace their family roots and to Washington D.C. for a trip of a lifetime.

Her many talents included sewing, floral design, cooking and baking. Her cookies, breads and candy were eagerly anticipated each Christmas. The many dinner parties she hosted for her extended family and friends were beautifully presented and often met with exclamations of, "She has out done herself again!"

Jean was the ultimate homemaker. She loved being a wife, mother, daughter, sister, aunt, grandmother and great-grandmother, and she did it all well.

Jean was preceded in death by her parents; her four brothers: Harold, Bill, Wayne and Donald Hutcheson; and four sisters: Dorothy LeZotte, Pearl Galarneau, Marjorie Lascek and Laura Alderman.

She is survived by the love of her life, Bill; their four sons, Mark (Michele) of Albany, Oregon, Todd (Yheaulon) of Port Hueneme, California, Ross (Christi) of The Dalles, Oregon and Doug Simpson of Phoenix, Arizona; four grandchildren; seven step-grandchildren; many great-grandchildren; brother-in-law Lloyd Alderman of Lebanon, Oregon; sister-in-law Dolores Hutcheson of Madison, Wisconsin; numerous nieces, nephews, and friends.

A family viewing will be held at the McHenry Funeral Home in Corvallis on Friday, December 4, 2020. Graveside services for family and friends will be held on Saturday December 5, 2020 at 2:00 p.m. at the Oak Lawn Memorial Park in Corvallis.

Memorial contributions may be made to First Christian Church, 602 SW Madison Ave., Corvallis Oregon 97333 in lieu of flowers.

A Celebration of Life will be scheduled at a later date.