Ann Langan Norquist

1925 - 2023

Ann Langan Norquist

Feb. 8, 1925 - Mar. 2, 2023

Ann Langan Norquist died peacefully at home in Longview on March 2, 2023. She was with family, and the house was full of many visitors during the weeks before her death. She celebrated her 98th birthday on February 8.

Ann was born in Hecla South Dakota to Ella Margaret "Dollie" and Wallace Mitchell. She and her family lived on her Scottish grandfather's Aberdeen Angus cattle ranch - where he built homes for his sons near the "big house." Her sister Hope, (who turns 100 on April 7) remembers learning to swim in a large horse tank and summers spent on the James "Jim" River. Ann blamed "never being a good swimmer" on that horse tank and its limitations. Ann continued to visit Hecla into her 80's.

Ann is survived by her four children: Bruce (Kathy) from Normandy Park, WA; Scott (Karen Hays) in Seattle; Todd and Amy both in Longview; her sister Margaret "Hope" Burns in Sweet Home Oregon; three adult grandchildren and six great grandchildren.

She is proceeded in death by her husband Dr. Stan Norquist (married 68 years at the time of his death in 1998) and her brother Wallace "J." Mitchell from Arkansas.

After graduating high school in Austin, MN., Ann moved to Seattle where she worked for the Port of Embarkation during WWII. When the war ended, she moved back to Austin to join family before attending Carleton College to study Journalism. She transferred to the University of Minnesota, where a young Ann Mitchell met a young man studying medicine, named Stanley. They married in 1949 and had a baby boy, Bruce, before moving to Seattle where Stan completed his Internship at Harborview Hospital.

Ann and Stan moved to Longview in 1952 - wanting to bring their growing family to a small town - where they raised four R.A. Long grads on 24th Avenue and then the shores of Lake Sacajawea, in neighborhoods full of best friends and games of hide-and-seek, kick-the-can, and capture-the-flag. The Toutle River cabin where the Norquist family spent most of the summers - and where the kids, Stan, and friends "shot the rapids" often - did not survive the eruption of Mt. St. Helens in 1980, but it still holds a special place in family/friends hearts. Kids would come running when Ann rang the dinner bell on the porch. Other important family spots included Shawnigan Lake in Canada and Seabeck Family Camp in Seabeck, WA. Ann organized the family every year - for decades - to make the trek for those magical weeks possible. She relished and endured the decades with Stanley's humor. As a result, she gained the nickname "Ann, Oh Honestly" for her admonishments of: "Oh Honestly, Stanley," following many of his worst jokes.

Ann was also the Mariner's "biggest fan" and she (and Stan) never missed an opportunity to watch them on TV. In September of 2022 she attended a live game in Seattle with her family and loved telling the story of how Julio hit the first pitch out of the park! She was so happy to be there. She was a devoted sports fan and very rarely - if ever - missed the opportunity to see her kids compete in any sport.

An important and large part of Ann's life was comforting and being of service to dear friends and strangers. She spent long hours with many people at the end of their lives, before there was a hospice. She drove people -weekly - to Portland for cancer treatments, before there was an option in Longview. Over the years, she hosted several people - in her own home - who needed help, even taking in a newborn at one time. Lifelong best friends remember Ann as someone who would drop everything when a friend would stop by and "you never felt like you were interrupting anything." She loved to serve tea on such occasions. She was known to secretly plant crocus bulbs in neighbors' yards for a delightful spring surprise. She was an avid gardener and could often be found weeding in the backyard until after dark, all spring and summer. Ann taught herself to sew, needlepoint, and many other crafts that she put to good use; not uncommon for neighborhood girls to receive matching dresses for the first day school. She was a tireless volunteer for St. Stephens church where her expertise benefited the annual Christmas bazaar fundraisers, among other things. Ann was also an active member of the local PEO and the Medical Auxiliary for decades.

Ann was a devoted, loving, and generous friend, mother, and wife.

In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Peace Health Hospice, P.O. Box 3002, Longview, 98632 and St. Stephens Episcopal Church, 1428 22nd Avenue, Longview 98632, in Ann's honor.

A memorial service is schedule for 1:00 p.m. April 15 at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, 1428 22nd Avenue, Longview, with a reception to follow. All are welcome to attend and celebrate Ann's life.