Norma was born the daughter of Harry and Mina Matteson Crowder on May 22, 1920, in rural Jasper County, Iowa. She attended Grinnell schools and graduated from Grinnell High School with the class of 1937. She attended Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa from 1937-1939 and then attended Grinnell College from 1940-1942, where she graduated with the class of 1942. In her last year at Grinnell College, she was the business manager for the Scarlett and Black. She was united in marriage to Donald Bruce Vance on June 5, 1942, at her parent's home in Grinnell. While living in Grinnell, she was the deaconess at the United Church of Christ - Congregational Church, was a volunteer for the Community Hospital Auxiliary, and was a Campfire Girls leader. She worked on the committee to build the first Grinnell Municipal Swimming Pool and also served on the committee to build Bailey Park Elementary School. She served on the board of directors of St. Francis Manor Nursing Home and was a member of PEO since 1952. Norma's career included serving as a social worker for the Iowa Department of Social Services in Poweshiek County until 1968. She then was employed at the Iowa State Department of Human Services, where she wrote procedures for Medicaid for the State of Iowa. She worked for the State of Iowa until 1980. The couple resided in West Des Moines, Iowa until 1987, and then moved to Grinnell. Norma is survived by her daughters, Beth (Garvin) Granberry of Asherton, TX, and Becky (Mike) Sedrel of Diablo, CA; her granddaughters, Mary Beth (Steve) Schaff of Houston, TX, Amber (Greg) Norquist of Huntington Beach, CA, and Jessica Sedrel of San Ramon, CA; her great granddaughters, Kallie Sedrel, Molly and Brianna Schaff, and Annika and Britta Norquist; her sister, Reba (Ned) Postels of Grinnell, IA; her niece, Joan (Arnold) Heimsoth of Grinnell, IA; and her nephew, Dick (Bev) Postels of Grinnell, IA. Norma was preceded in death by her parents and her husband, Don. Memorials may be directed to the Norma L. Vance Memorial Fund to benefit organizations of the family's choice.