Norma Wickland West Heiny

We honor our mother, Norma Wickland West Heiny, as a heroine for the lessons she has taught us through her words and actions. Her strong values of the importance of family and serving others has benefited many individuals and has been passed on to us by her example. When she was not married during her adult life, rather than seeing the situation as an obstacle she viewed it as an opportunity to help other women at an agency in Mason City serving displaced homemakers. Rather than pitying herself, she bettered herself through college classes. Her commitment to others is evident from the nursing profession she chose as a young woman to the volunteer activities in which she is involved in her community and her church as an adult woman. She fervently serves those organizations by encouraging them to find creative solutions to their obstacles and rarely turns down an opportunity to help other women overcome hurdles in their lives. To draw on her community and personal experience, she was appointed to Governor Branstad's Displaced Homemaker's Board. It also seeks to help reduce obstacles for women in Iowa. Most important to us and most difficult to measure is the importance our mother places on her family. In spite of her outside activities, she has always been available to us and she continues to do the same for her eight grandchildren. The lessons she taught us in dealing with the obstacles she faced and knowing that she is encouraging us in anything we try has helped us face the challenges in our lives with confidence. Her life may seem charmed, but she has worked hard to live her life in a manner that creates that charm. Although she doesn't acknowledge it, she has been an example to others in being responsible for improving their lives ... and she does this with much dignity and compassion. The importance she places on loving and supporting her family through happy and difficult times are the values she has instilled in us and which we hope to emulate for the benefit of our children. The examples she has provided through her community service emulates the values held by Carrie Chapman Catt to reduce obstacles and create opportunities for others, especially women.

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