Norma Erdmann, loving mother, grandmother, great grandmother and great-great grandmother of Harvey, ND passed away peacefully at the age of 108 on Friday, December 18, 2020 at St. Aloisius Nursing Home.

Visitation will be from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Monday December 21 at Hertz Funeral Home, Harvey, ND.  Funeral services will be held on Tuesday, December 22 at 2:00 pm at First Lutheran Church in Harvey. Burial will follow at Goodrich Cemetery.

The service will be streamed live on the First Lutheran Church Harvey Face Book page.

Born on November 6, 1912, on a farm south of Drake, ND, she was the daughter of August and Minnie (Herter) Kaibel.  One of eight children, she had a twin brother (Norman) who was her constant companion during childhood.  They were able to celebrate their 90 ^th birthdays' together.

She was very proud of the fact that she was the only one in her family to have graduated from high school.  This allowed her to help her children with math, spelling and 4-H projects. She could still recite the names of the presidents of the United States when she was 104!

Norma married Theodore Mertz of Goodrich, ND in 1934. They celebrated a double wedding with her brother August, who married Theodore's sister Pauline. They lived with her in-laws until 1942, when they bought a farm north of Goodrich.  She and Theodore had eight children - 5 boys and 3 girls.

Theodore passed in 1954.  Norma continued to run the farm until 1958, at which time she and six of her children moved to Goodrich where she became the head cook at the public school to support her family.  She held that position for 16 years.  While holding that job and managing her family, she still found time to work at a local café and cook special meals for the local Lion's Club. She was a member and officer of the WELCA of Peace Lutheran Church of Goodrich.

In 1976 she married Archie Erdmann and moved to Denhoff to once again be a farmer's wife and have all of the duties that entails.  She always had a large garden and made the best pickled beets you have ever eaten!

Norma loved to play cards, especially pinochle, bowl in a competitive league and dance a waltz (in her high heels) at the Eagle's club where she was a charter member of the Ladies Auxiliary.  She was also a proud member of the Homemaker's Club.

Norma moved to Harvey after Archie passed in 2003. While there she enjoyed bingo at the Senior Center and the Eagle's Club.  She would invite her friends for dinner and a game of pinochle that would last into the wee hours of the morning.  She was a member of First Lutheran Church to which she and her sister donated one of the stained-glass windows.

Norma is survived by three daughters; Bonita Mertz (Al Binfet) of Mesa, AZ; Karen Konschak (Dennis) of Goodrich, ND and Gale Benner (Phillip) of Scottsdale, AZ; one son, Terry Mertz (Nell) of Grand Forks, ND; 14 grandchildren; 23 great grandchildren; and 8 great-great grandchildren; daughter-in-law, Kathy Mertz of Bismarck.

All will miss her love, support, cheese buttons, kuchen, jams and dumplings.

She is reunited in heaven with her parents, three brothers, Fred, August and Norman; four sisters, Caroline Wagner, Minnie Kapfer, Freda Kapfer and Cora Kaibel; four sons, Orlan Mertz, Darryl Mertz, Gary James (Jimmy) Mertz all of Goodrich and Timothy Mertz of Bismarck; and a daughter-in-law Patty Mertz of Goodrich.

Donations can be made to Goodrich Cemetery in memory of Norma.   Another celebration of Norma's life will be held in September 2021 at the Mertz and families reunion.

View and share online at www.hertzfuneralhomes.com