Norman R. Stice

Norman R. Stice, 79, of Parsons, passed away 9:30 a.m. on Monday, August 31, 2026, at his home.

Norm was born on November 8, 1946, to Ralph and Leona (McKnight) Stice in Oswego, Kansas. Growing up and attending school in Oswego, Norm had a natural gift for creating fun out of almost nothing. Whether leading his friends and brothers to the county fair, playing tag, or fishing in the river, he embraced life with an adventurous spirit and an appreciation for the simple pleasures that often become life’s most enduring memories.

A 1964 graduate of Oswego High School, Norm distinguished himself as an athlete, lettering in football, basketball, and track. Following high school, he attended Labette Community Junior College.

Norm later answered the call to serve his country in the United States Army, where he was stationed in Germany and at Fort Riley. Following his honorable discharge, he continued his education, earning both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Pittsburg State University.

His commitment to service and leadership became a defining thread throughout Norm’s professional life. For many years, he worked with the developmentally disabled at the Parsons State Hospital and Training Center, dedicating his career to work that required patience, compassion, and a genuine concern for others. Following his retirement from the State Hospital, Norm continued working for another 17 years with RTSSK.

His industrious nature was matched by a creative and entrepreneurial spirit. This same spirit can be found in his wife, Glenda, and together they started a business called Morgan Street Candleworks, making artisan quality candles, which were sold in gift shops throughout eastern Kansas; a reflection of the creativity they shared, and his lifelong ability to turn something made by hand into something others could enjoy.

Yet beyond his education, military service, professional accomplishments, and entrepreneurial pursuits, Norm’s greatest devotion was always to his family and the people he loved.

Norm was a member of the Parsons Foursquare Church. He loved to entertain and possessed that rare gift of making people laugh and feel at ease. Spontaneous and smart, he had a personality that brought life to a room and left those around him with stories worth remembering. He was also known for his talent for making fudge and his special nachos, simple traditions that became treasured favorites among his family.

Norm found great contentment outdoors. His childhood love of fishing never faded; instead, it remained one of the enduring pleasures of his life. And true to Norm’s nature, it was something he loved to share. He enjoyed taking his family, friends and coworkers fishing with him, turning days on the water into time spent together and memories that would last far beyond the day itself.

In so many ways, Norm’s life was defined by the things that mattered most: family deeply loved, work honorably done, friendships genuinely valued, and laughter generously shared.

Norm is survived by his wife, Glenda Beth (Jump) Stice, of the home; his seven children, Doug Smith and his wife, Monette, of Montgomery, Texas, Angie Harrison and her husband, Travis, of Moran, Kansas, David Smith and his wife, Holly, of Chetopa, Kansas, Heather Larsen of Oswego, Kansas, Erin Esaw and her husband, Curley, of Athens, Texas, Shannon Smith of Pittsburg, Kansas, and Chaston Stice of Parsons, Kansas; 15 grandchildren – Carlee, Kaely, Dillon, Peyton, Austin, Kenzie, Sara, Devon, Zach, Jake, Matthew, Grace, Audrey, Keenan, and Kimara; 11 great-grandchildren; and one brother, Larry Stice and his wife, Sharon, of Carl Junction, Missouri.

He was preceded in death by three brothers, Darrell Stice, Wayne Stice, and Bud Stice; and two sisters, Wilma Allison and Bonnie Jean Hurst.

The funeral service will be at 2:00 p.m., Saturday, September 5, 2026, at the Forbes-Hoffman Funeral Home of Parsons. The family will receive friends beginning at 1:00 p.m., until the service begins at the funeral home. Burial will follow the service at Memorial Lawn Cemetery in Parsons.