Norma Boutrous, 100, passed away peacefully September 23 at the Touchmark Senior Living Community in Bismarck. A beloved wife, mother, grandmother and—most recently—great-grandmother, Norma was an extremely popular, caring, contributing member of the Bismarck community since the early 1960s.

A funeral service will be held 10:00 AM on Tuesday, October 6, at St. George's Episcopal Memorial Church, 601 N 4th St, Bismarck.

Burial will be held at St. Mary's Cemetery, Bismarck.

A Los Angeles, California, native, Norma was the youngest of seven children born to Salem and Victoria (Bedran) Baida on December 12, 1925. She was living in Los Angeles and working at the Edison Company downtown when close friends arranged a chance introduction to North Dakota attorney Theodore (“Ted”) J. Boutrous, Sr. Their cross-country courtship was an instant success, starting with their first date to see Johnny Mathis at the Coconut Grove. They were married on July 26, 1959, in Los Angeles and spent their honeymoon at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel, Waikiki, in Honolulu.

Norma boldly left her life in Southern California, the only world she had ever known, to relocate with her new husband to North Dakota, a place she had never been. And she loved it. They settled first in Glen Ullin, where Ted had launched his successful law practice. Norma and Ted eventually relocated to Bismarck, where his law practice continued to thrive. While having been a lifelong member of St. Nicholas Orthodox Cathedral in Los Angeles, Norma was embraced by St. George’s Episcopal Church, where the Boutrous family had been members for years. They lovingly and joyfully raised three children in Bismarck, all of whom are proud graduates of Bismarck High School.

A loving, caring, fun, completely devoted mother to her three children, Norma also made time to become an active volunteer for various civic causes in Bismarck, including within the elementary public school system, the healthcare community,political organizations, and her beloved Bismarck-Mandan Symphony. She also enjoyed playing tennis, playing card games with friends and hosting holiday celebrations and dinner parties. She was the perfect hostess, according to friends and family. She had a vivacious personality, and great sense of humor, and she could mix and mingle with any crowd, any time, and anywhere.

After moving to Touchmark at age 92, Norma embraced her new community life, enthusiastically participating in every card game available (bridge was her favorite!!), along with Bingo, Pokeno and “Dimes”. She rarely missed an opportunity to play, always aimed to win, and was actively recruiting bridge players the week before she passed away. Her many and wonderful friends at Touchmark described her game skills as “sharp until the end, and super lucky”!

While always proud to be a Bismarck resident for over 65 years, Norma remained a lifelong sports fan of her hometown Los Angeles Rams, Lakers, Dodgers and UCLA teams, but she also was a loyal fan of the Twins and Vikings.

Norma was preceded in death by her husband, Ted, her parents, and all of her siblings. She is survived by her three children: son Ted, Jr., and his wife Helen of Los Angeles; son Victor of Los Angeles; daughter Della, granddaughter Alex and Alex’s husband Ethan; and Norma’s new great-granddaughter, Theodora Violet, all of Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Funeral services will be conducted at 10 AM on Tuesday, October 6th, at St. George’s Episcopal Memorial Church, located at 601 N. 4th St. in Bismarck. A private family burial ceremony will follow at St. Mary’s Cemetery in Bismarck.

Norma’s family would like to thank the Touchmark caregivers and staff for the loving and tender care they provided Norma during her eight years at Touchmark, and particularly as she journeyed toward the end of her long, beautiful life. A special thanks is also extended to the Ethos Hospice caregivers, who provided such compassionate comfort and care during these last few months. We will hold you all in our hearts always.

For those wishing to, in lieu of flowers, memorials may be contributed to the Bismarck-Mandan Symphony Orchestra or to St. Basil The Great Orthodox Church (1929 N. Washington St., Bismarck, N.D. 58501) in loving memory of Norma Boutrous.

Norma will be deeply missed each and every day, now and forever, with love, affection, and admiration.