Maria Sartwell Tieman

Maria Tieman, a devoted wife, nurse, mother, grandmother, and lover of art and nature, passed away at home on November 6, 2025, in Spring, Texas, at the age of 82.

Born on February 23, 1943, in Tacoma, Washington, Maria spent her childhood in various places due to her father's career. She lived in Steilacoom, Washington; Colfax, Washington; and then for 8 years on McNeil Island which was a prison island in the Puget Sound where her father worked at the prison. She then lived in Chillicothe, OH, Hyattsville, MD, Texarkana, TX, and Greenville, South Carolina, where she graduated from high school. She earned her nursing degree from Florida State University in Tallahassee in 1964, beginning a lifelong career dedicated to caring for others. She married Bill Norton in 1965.

Maria's nursing career took her across Texas, where she lived in Lubbock, Plainview, and New Braunfels. She served as Director of Nursing at McKenna Memorial Hospital from 1980 until her retirement from hospital leadership around 2005, after which she continued her calling in home health care until 2010. Her leadership, compassion, and commitment to patient care left a lasting mark on those she worked with and served. It was at McKenna Memorial Hospital that she met John Tieman and they were married in 1991. They retired happily to the beautiful mountain town of Cloudcroft, New Mexico.

Beyond her professional life, Maria was a woman of deep curiosity and creativity. She loved long walks in nature and often translated those quiet moments into watercolor paintings of landscapes, flowers, and people. She was an exceptional cook-her chocolate fudge with walnuts, ginger snaps, strawberry–rhubarb pie, potato soup, and quiche were family favorites-and she was a fierce Scrabble player known for her vocabulary and bluffing. She read widely, thought deeply, and brought humor and warmth to every gathering.

Maria is survived by her husband, John Tieman; her brothers, Craig Sartwell and Mark Sartwell; her children, Kirk Norton and Aimee Norton; her stepchildren John Jr., Joanna, and James; 14 grandchildren and 6 great-grandchildren. She will be remembered with love by all who knew her-for her kindness, strength, curiosity, and generosity of spirit.

In lieu of flowers, the family encourages donations to Heifer International, an organization that works to end hunger and poverty.