Norma Darlene (Sparks) DeReus, age 91 of Prairie City, passed away on Saturday, July 6, 2024, at Edencrest at Tuscany in Altoona. Funeral services will be held on Saturday, July 13, 2024, at 10:30 am at Coburn Funeral Home in Prairie City. Burial will take place at Waveland Cemetery. The family will greet friends on Friday, July 12, 2024, from 5:00 - 7:00 pm at the funeral home. Condolences may be left for the family at www.coburnfuneralhomes.com

The daughter of Lowell Dorr Sparks and Anna Lucille (Alspaugh) Sparks, Norma was born on August 23, 1932, in West Plains, Missouri. On December 20, 1952, she was united in marriage to Ernest Ray DeReus at the Prairie City United Methodist Church. She retired from Northwest Bell with 27 years of service. Norma loved and enjoyed her grandchildren and great grandchildren immensely! Family always came first, job second. Cooking, Cross-stitch, stamping, bird watching, gardening/flowers, reading, and in her later years, adult coloring were greatly enjoyed during her retirement years. Caregivers laughed at her wit and humor during her stay at Edencrest. We will miss mom's loving heart and devotion to her family. May she rest peacefully through the ages.

Those left to honor her memory include her two children, Donna DeReus and Jeff (Merri) DeReus; four grandchildren, Megan (Chad) Kephart, Amanda (Bobby) Norlin, Sam (Katelyn) DeReus and Joe DeReus; five great grandchildren, Jacob, Matthew, Corbin Kephart and Andrew and Charlotte Norlin, her sisters, Barbara (Duane) Jennings and Marjorie (Wayne) Scharnhorst; and three sisters-in-law, Rose Sparks, Faye Frank and Nora DeReus. Preceding Norma in death were her parents, husband in 2018, and three brothers, Kyle, Dorr and Joe. `