Norma Maxine Trosper

Norma Maxine Trosper, 78, of Grand Island, died on Monday April 20, 2026 with her children by her side at the Heritage at Sagewood after many years of living with Alzheimer’s. Funeral services will be 10 AM Thursday, April 23, 2026 at Trinity Lutheran with pastor Adam Snoberger officiating. Burial will follow in Westlawn Memorial Park Cemetery. Visitation will be from 5 to 7 PM on Wednesday, April 22nd at Apfel Funeral Home.

Norma was born on September 16, 1947 in Loup City, NE. Her parents were Forrest and Viola (Tracy) Hill. She grew up and attended a variety of schools in Nebraska, attended Barr Middle School, and graduated from Grand Island Senior High in 1965. On March 6, 1965, Norma married the love of her life, Larry Trosper, in Central City, NE. They made their home in Grand Island, NE for 41 years. Together they had three children, Kevin, Toby, and Marcy. Norma was a homemaker, worked for many years at JCPenny, did in-home daycare, and found her calling as a Paraeducator for Grand Island Public Schools where she worked in the early childhood program for 25 years. Norma loved children, and children loved her. She made amazing relationships with her students, families, and coworkers over the years at GIPS. She also was an assistant softball coach and bookkeeper with her husband Larry for several years. Through that, she and Larry also became a foster parent to a high school girl for two years.

Norma's greatest love and skill was being a mom and grandma. Her love language was cooking and giving. If you commented that you liked something at her home, she would offer it to you because if it brought you joy, she wanted you to have it. She was an amazing cook and baker. Baking delicious pies for the holidays was her specialty. The dozens of cookies she baked through the years for camping trips, after school snacks, holiday parties at school, and birthday treats is unimaginable. Her greatest joy when baking cookies came with her grandchildren as they would sit on the floor of the kitchen and pass the brown mixing bowl, taking turns stirring the chocolate chip cookie dough, and eating it. She was an Uber, before Uber was a thing. Transporting her children, and then grandchildren to and from school, church confirmation, home from school and then back to practices at the high school before they could drive. It was not just her own grandchildren that benefited from this, their friends happily partook because there was always a home cooked meal to go along with that ride.

Norma and Larry shared 41 years of marriage and love. They were amazing parents to their children and their children's friends, as well as many players whom they coached together in both baseball and softball. Norma enjoyed camping trips around Nebraska and then settled in for many years of camping and fishing trips with her family and her brother and sister-in-law and their kids for many years at Harlan County Reservoir. Norma and Larry took many trips driving across the state for their children's sporting events, and then the country for Kevin's college football. They continued this after sports, loving to travel together, not always knowing where the destination was, but just going to see what they found. Unfortunately those trips were cut short when, not long after Larry's retirement, he was diagnosed with Leukemia. For a year, Norma learned nursing skills she never dreamt she would have as she became his caregiver. She was beside him every step of the way. When Larry succumbed to the disease after a year, Norma's heart was truly broken. Larry was her one and only true love and best friend. She has missed him dearly for 20 years, and we can only imagine the joy in that reunion in Heaven along with their baby boy, Toby.

Norma retired from GIPS after that year's leave of absence. At that time she decided she just wanted to make time for her grandchildren and kids. Her grandchildren had always been her life, but now she was certain to never miss an event or have them in need of a ride to or from school or to anything. Grandma and Grandpa's house was always a haven for their grandkids.

The grandkids would go over for Christmas and stay for a week. Norma always had the energy and love to host all five grandkids for as long as they wanted to stay and they often had to be forced to leave. Even after Larry died, Norma kept their camper and continued to go camping and fishing for years so that all of the grandkids could experience the fun we all grew up with.

Those who knew Norma knew her as sweet and kind. She was an amazing educator and the teachers that worked beside her felt blessed to have her by their side. She and Larry were praised by teachers as parents and they did an amazing job teaching their kids how to be parents and grandparents. Norma was a woman of many titles: daughter, sister, mom, friend, sister-in-law, caregiver, educator, coach, and grandma. She will be missed dearly, but her (and Larry's) legacy will live on through those left to cherish her. Norma is survived by two children, Kevin (Dani) Trosper and Marcy Krolikowski (Andy Donovan) all of Grand Island, five grandchildren and four great grandchildren, Taryn (Corey) Lienemann and Blake and Reese, Sydney (Tanner) Meyer and Hayes, Braden Trosper, Ryan (Jocelyn) Krolikowski and Rhett, and Riley (Emma Collins) Krolikowski. Three sisters, Linda Olson of Lincoln, NE, Helen (Tom) Pheiffer of Montgomery, AL, and Lois (Tom) Harris of Benson, AZ. Sister and Brother's In Law, Syivia (Melvin) Russell of Gretna, NE, Terry (Glenna) Trosper of Ankeny, IA, and Andy (Marsha) Trosper of Bloomingdale, IL; a foster daughter, Fran (Chris) Filomio of Forney, TX, and numerous nieces, nephews and great nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband (Larry Trosper), a baby boy (Toby), her in laws (Dean and Lillian Trosper), two sisters (Niema Kuster and Dorothy Partridge), 2 brothers (James and Harold Hill), and a son-in-law (Randy Krolikowski).