Norma King

Our beloved mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, and friend, Norma Mae King, went home to be with the Lord on September 21, 2017. She was born to Walter and Elizabeth Swank on April 18, 1922 in the Benteen area near Garryowen, Montana. She was 95. As the oldest girl in the family, she was tasked with helping raise her younger siblings and doing most of the chores around the house. She was raised during the depression and would become a frugal and resourceful woman throughout her life. She would later pass on this resourcefulness on to her sons and daughters-in-law. In the early 1940s, she met Frank Falls Down and the couple had one son, Larry. The couple divorced a few years later. In the late 1940s, she met the love of her life, Frank A. King. The couple married in the fall of 1949 and from this union, she was blessed with another son, Mike. The newlyweds relocated to the King ranch in Pryor, Montana where they raised the two boys. A few years later, Frank contracted polio and was paralyzed from the waist down. Instead of giving up, Norma became a ranch hand and helped Frank with the ranch duties while also being a homemaker and wife. Her sons learned a lot from their mother and became independent, strong men. Frank King passed away on February 9, 1978. In her later life, she helped raise her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She never wanted to be known for anything except being a good mother and grandmother. She would always shy away from the spotlight and never liked to be the center of attention. We will miss her potato salad, “Crazy Cake”, “Poor Man's Cake”, ramen noodles, grilled cheese sandwiches, onion and butter sandwiches, her sister's famous “cheese ball”, and her “dippin' eggs”. Norma is reunited in Heaven with her husband, Frank King; her parents; sisters Annie Frost, Margaret Eldridge, and Connie Tweeden; brothers Glenn, Bobby, and Floyd Swank; and grandson Tim Falls Down. She is survived by her two sons Lawrence “Larry” Falls Down and Mike (Debbie) King; grandchildren Randy (Missy), Van (Denalene), Steven (Kodi), Larry Lee (Renee) Falls Down, Janet King Wallace, and Shane King; great-grandchildren Timmy, Evan (Brenda), Kirsten, Kade, Chad Falls Down, Michael Wallace, Addison, Avery, Cora, Lyla, and Gage Falls Down; great-great-grandchildren Jeremiah, Kyran, and Ryley Falls Down; former daughters-in-law Delores Falls Down-Geiger and Michaela Falls Down; sisters Tyke McGarry, Donna Belle Gilreath, Ruth Beckman, Betty Mason, and Shirley Waldo-Musch; one brother Donnie (Dolly) Swank; numerous nephews and nieces. The family would like to thank the nurses and staff at Eagle Cliff Manor for taking care of Norma in her last days. The family appreciates the help and care that Dahl Funeral Chapel has shown to Norma and family in this difficult time.