Norma Brustuen Sands

""You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands."" Isaiah 55:12

Dear friends and family of Norma,

My sister, Norma Sands, passed away peacefully in her home on June 1, 2020. Our family was able to be with her in person and virtually. We were able to sing, pray and say our goodbyes. She was born on October 23, 1938 and raised in rural Appleton, Minnesota to parents Andrew and Alice Brustuen. Our parents farmed and when Norma was 8, they bought the nearby Maple Grove Store, which they ran as a family business.

Norma graduated from high school in Appleton, and then went to Concordia College in Moorhead, MN, graduating with a degree in music. She spent much of her life working in music ministry and teaching music in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Great Falls, Montana. In 1965, she moved to Denver, CO where she lived for the rest of her life.

Throughout her life, she modeled many notable virtues, among which independence and energy for life were the greatest. She was determined to live her own life, to think for herself, to reach her own conclusions, and to teach herself new things. Her passion for Bridge best demonstrates these virtues. As an adult, she independently learned everything there was to know about the game. Her self-motivated spirit, confidence, and risk- taking led her to open her own Bridge studio. Norma's great energy led to a successful career teaching Bridge. Not only was she successful in her studio, but she also authored several books about the game, participated in national tournaments, presented on cruises, and was respected in the Bridge community throughout the country. At 81 years old, her energy for life and the game of Bridge was on display as she was teaching her classes over Zoom up until a few days before she died. Norma's legacy will live on in the lives of all the students she has taught. After 40 plus years of teaching the game of Bridge, she still loved it and had no plans to retire. She often spoke about the joy she got from seeing people form friendships at the bridge table. My family and I will always remember many things she has taught us, the greatest of which is to embrace our own individuality and to live life everyday with great joy and energy.

She is welcomed into the Kingdom of God by her parents Andrew and Alice Brustuen and an infant brother, Andrew John Brustuen.

A celebration of Norma's life will take place at a later date. Please feel free to leave favorite memories of Norma on this site. We would love to hear from you.

God Bless Norma's memory.

With love and gratitude,
Bonnie Legreid and family

Memorial Contributions may be made in Norma’s honor by visiting:

https://www.concordiacollege.edu/give

or

https://www.acbleducationalfoundation.org/

Please list in the comment section, In memory of Norma Sands