Norma Aldine Brott was born Aug. 17, 1932, in Watseka, Illinois, to Harry Albert and Wilhelmina Helena (Janssen) Scheiwe and passed away Oct. 11, 2025, in Seward at the age of 93 years, 1 month and 24 days.
Norma was baptized Sept. 4, 1932, at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Watseka. She grew up in Watseka, where she attended St. Paul’s Lutheran School until the eighth grade. Norma was confirmed on April 14, 1946, at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church. One of Norma’s greatest inspirations was attending a Lutheran Hour service at Purdue University where Walter A. Maier was the speaker in the late 1930s. She also attended the centennial service of LCMS at Soldier’s Field in Chicago in 1947.
Norma loved family and neighborhood gatherings very much. She also enjoyed 4-H as a young girl, where she received several awards at the local, county and state level. At the age of 14, Norma had her first job detasseling corn for Lowe Seed Company and made .60 per hour. She attended Cissna Park Community High School, where she graduated with the Class of 1950. Norma then attended Concordia Teacher’s College in River Forest, Illinois, graduating in 1956 with a Bachelor of Science in Education. She taught at Immanuel Lutheran in Sebewaing, Michigan, and at Zoar Lutheran in Elmwood Park, Illinois. On July 8, 1956, Norma was united in marriage to Eugene “Gene” Brott at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Woodworth, Illinois, and to this union, three children were born, Elizabeth, Thomas and Ingrid.
She later attended Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma, where she obtained her Master of Science in 1967. The couple moved to Winfield, Kansas, where she taught for one year at Trinity Lutheran School. She later worked at Winfield Public Library until 1982. The family moved to Seward in 1982, where she worked at Concordia University Library from 1982 until her retirement in 2000.
Norma enjoyed making quilts, sewing and crocheting. She treasured their family heirloom quilt that was named “trip around the world” made in the 1920s. Norma was a member of St. John Lutheran Church, where she was involved in the church quilting group, The Comforters, and the adult choir.
She was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Gene Brott; sister, Bernice Peters; and brother, Glenn Scheiwe.
Survivors cherishing her memory include her three children, Elizabeth “Lisa” Ruth and husband, Ronald Aring, Seward, Thomas Paul Brott, Cypress, California, and Ingrid Michelle and husband, Mark Minchow, Seward; four grandchildren, Jessica and husband, Jason Pickel, Tyler and wife, Mischaela Aring, Hayden Minchow and Dawson Minchow; six great-grandchildren, Jasten Pickel, Jaegen Pickel, Jetten Pickel, Tucker Aring, Ada and Maverick Aring; and brother, Paul Scheiwe.
A memorial service will be Tuesday, Oct. 21, at 10:30 a.m. at St. John Lutheran Church in Seward with inurnment at the Greenwood Cemetery. Memorial contributions are suggested to St. John's Child Development Center.
Arrangements by Zabka-Perdue Funeral Home.
