Norma L. "Nana" Daniels

Funeral services for Norma Daniels, age 75, of West Monroe, will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, December 16, 2025, at Christ Church. Interment will follow at Hasley Cemetery under the direction of Kilpatrick Funeral Homes of West Monroe. Visitation will be held at the church from 12:00 p.m. until 2:00 p.m., prior to the service. Norma was born in Monroe, Louisiana, to James Ezra Schanks and Bonnie Faye Reppond Schanks. As the oldest of four children, she naturally assumed the role of leader at an early age-a role that would shape her life and career. Her sister, Margarette, and brothers, Roger and Doug, were the members of her very first team. Soon after high school, Norma married William Daniels and accompanied him during his service in the United States Navy, following his postings to various ports. While living in Puerto Rico, she worked as a clerk for the Navy. At the end of William's tour of duty, the couple returned to West Monroe, where Norma began her distinguished career with the Social Security Administration. Starting as a clerical employee in 1977, Norma steadily advanced through the agency. She liked meeting new people and quickly discovered that her gift of a "talker" was an asset in public service. To advance her career, she accepted assignments throughout Louisiana and Texas, always returning "home" to West Monroe on the weekends. Norma served as a Supervisor in Palestine, Texas; Operations Officer in Baton Rouge, Louisiana; District Manager in Plaquemine, Louisiana, and Longview, Texas; and ultimately as an Area Director stationed in Dallas, overseeing Social Security offices across North Texas, Arkansas, and Oklahoma. From leading her three siblings as a child, she went on to lead nearly 600 employees. During her 35-year career with the SSA, Norma also completed an assignment at the agency's headquarters in Baltimore and spent many years on the training cadre for supervisors in the Dallas Region. She hired, promoted, trained, and mentored hundreds of employees and oversaw important improvements in public service. Along the way, she formed lasting friendships, sharing dinners and plays, books and shopping, social events, and-always-lively conversation. Norma, indeed, remained a talker. Beyond her professional life, Norma remained busy. She shared 56 years of marriage with William, during which they traveled extensively, including post-retirement trips along both the East and West Coasts of the United States. Together, they raised two wonderful sons, Zane and Ben, who both married and made Norma a proud grandmother to Sarah Daniels Sistrunk (Kolt), McKenzee Riles McDonald (Austin), and Trey Riles (Lindsey), and a cherished great-grandmother to Cash, Wesley, Hadlee, and Konlee-Kate. Blessed with daughters-in-law Carrie (Zane) and Alison (Ben), Norma often remarked, "The Lord owed me a debt and paid me with my daughters-in-law." Norma was preceded in death by her parents, Bonnie and Ezra Schanks, and her brother, Roger Schanks. She is survived by her husband, William Daniels; her sons, Zane (Carrie) and Ben (Alison); her grandchildren, Sarah, McKenzee, and Trey; her great-grandchildren, Cash, Wesley, Hadlee, and Konlee-Kate; her sister, Margarette Womack; and her brother, Doug Schanks. A lifelong creative artist, Norma especially loved fiber arts and was rarely without several projects in progress. She enjoyed spinning, cross-stitch, and quilting, and after retirement became an active member of the Northeast Louisiana Quilters' Guild, where she spent many happy hours creating and sharing quilts. Any trip she took included stops at local "stitching stores" to explore the latest fabrics and patterns available. She enjoyed attending quilting shows and exhibits at home and across the country. In retirement, Norma was also a faithful and devoted member of Christ Church in West Monroe. The family requests that memorial donations in her honor be made to Christ Church.
NANA, a four letter word that means a million. If you have a NANA you know without a doubt you struck gold. A nana is the strongest woman that walks this earth. She doesn't judge, she teaches, she doesn't say she is disappointed, she says I want you to be better. You have questions? Nana has answers, you hungry? Nana has food. You go to NANA for everything. A NANA is what holds the family together. She is the heartbeat of the family.
A nana is one of life's greatest gifts. She is the warm laugh that fills a quiet room, the gentle hands that make even the hardest day feel softer, and the steady heart that loves without conditions. A nana carries wisdom in her stories, strength in her smile, and comfort in every hug she gives. She teaches us where we come from and helps shape who we become.
Losing a nana means losing a piece of home, but her love doesn't disappear-it stays in the memories she made with us, the values she passed down, and the kindness she planted in our lives. A good nana leaves a legacy of love that keeps on giving, long after she's gone.