Norman Brantley was born February 4, 1930, the 3 ^rd of 4 children of Edison and Bertha Brantley, in Zolfo Springs, Florida. He passed away in Yuma, Arizona on May 4, 2022.  He was preceded in death by his wife Tomoko, his parents, his three siblings Harris, Haynes, and Dutchy, and his daughter-in-law Vicki Brantley. He is survived by his 5 children:  LTC (Ret) Charles Kazuo Brantley, Orlando, FL; Carolyn Miyako Creel (Gene), Plant City, FL; Norman Nobuo Brantley, Lawton, OK; LTC (Ret) Charlotte Michiko Stevenson (Alan), Lawton, OK; Vivian Tomoko Brantley-Stokes, Yuma, AZ; 9 grandchildren and 20 great-grandchildren.  He was a former member and Deacon of Westwood Baptist Church, Lawton, OK, and later a member of Strong Nation Church, Yuma, AZ.

After graduating from Hardee County High School, he enlisted on January 2, 1949.  He attended Basic Combat Training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina and Advanced Individual Training (Mechanic School) at Fort Sill, Oklahoma.

Norman's first duty assignment was to Car Company Motor Batallion in the center of Tokyo, General Douglas MacArthur's Headquarters (GHQ).  During this assignment, he met Tomoko Asano.  After a hassle with the Army and with his dad (his words), they were married February 8, 1951.  Like many others, they had a traditional American wedding ceremony and a traditional Japanese wedding ceremony.  He maintained life-long loving relationships with our family members in Japan.  He loved the Japanese people and culture and worked hard to ensure his children and his children's children remained proud of their Japanese heritage.  Family members from Japan came to the United States often, and always included a stop wherever he happened to be at the time.  He travelled to Japan as often as he could and always tried to share the experience with his kids and grandkids as travelling companions.

His awards and decorations:  Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal with First Oak Leaf Cluster, Good Conduct Medal with Fourth Award, Army of Occupation Medal, National Defense Service Medal with First Oak Leaf Cluster, Korean Service Medal, United Nations Service Medal, Expert Qualification Badge-Pistol 0.45 Caliber.

His assignments included multiple overseas tours to Japan, Korea and Germany.  Stateside assignments include Fort Bliss, TX, and Fort Sill, OK.

With his last two kids excelling in high school, Norman chose retirement over another 3-year accompanied, or an 18-month unaccompanied overseas assignment in Germany.  One of his last acts while on active duty, he was able to attend and pin 1LT rank on his son Charles, who was stationed at Fort Campbell, Kentucky with the 101 ^st Airborne Division.  He retired August 1, 1976, at the rank of Chief Warrant Officer 3 after over 27 years of service.

After retirement from the military, Norman went to work at Gibson's Discount Center in the Sporting Goods Department. Not long after, Goodyear started hiring people to help in the tire-making process while the plant was being built.  Norman was given Badge # 134 (badges 1-99 were given to people brought in prior to plant operations).  He was initially hired as a maintenance technician.  When he retired around 1994, he was a maintenance supervisor.

After retirement from Goodyear, Norman first travelled to Hawaii to visit.  Around 1994, he purchased a 29 ft Class A motorhome.   After that he made several solo cross-country trips from Oklahoma, to Arizona, back to Oklahoma, then to Florida, and/or where-ever his kids/grand-kids were.

Around 1995, he started spending his summers in Oklahoma, and wintering in Yuma, Arizona.  Then starting around 2016, he remained in Yuma year-round with his youngest daughter.

Norman wasn't just about work.  He was heavily involved in his childrens' lives and taught his kids at a very young age to enjoy and respect nature and the outdoors.  He and Tomoko actively participated in and supported both sons in Boy Scouts, starting with Cub Scouts.  Both Charles and Norman earned their Order of the Arrow and the rank of Eagle Scout ('66 and '68 respectively).  Sometimes Norman even took Charlotte and Vivian along on the camping trips.  The family spent many weekends camping, fishing, water-skiing, swimming, supervised play on an enormous tractor tire and even frog-gigging, at Ft. Cobb Reservoir, and later mostly at Lake Lawtonka.  These trips included washing and waxing the boat, properly storing gear, and restocking camping supplies.  Norman and Tomoko sat on many uncomfortable bleachers to watch countless at-home and away baseball, softball, football, and basketball games, intramural college basketball games, Junior ROTC and College-level ROTC Color Guard, unarmed and armed Drill Meets and performances.  This later repeated itself with support of grandchildrens' activities.  Norman had a couple of run-ins with referees and umpires when he contested a few controversial calls that led to ejection from the sporting event/venue.  He didn't get "Stormin' Norman" as a nick-name for nothing!

Norman was fearless and enjoyed going and doing.  He owned and rode, weather-permitting, several Harley Davidson motorcycles, including a FXRT.  He made 2 tandem sky-dives at Raeford, North Carolina in his sixties.  He took up rock-hunting and driving his Willy Jeep cross country in the desert, looking for and collecting cool rocks that he would bring home and cut, tumble, and share.  He also started wood-carving in early 2000, and produced progressively more complex carvings over the years.  He collected different woods and began wood-crafting beautiful writing pens that he proudly gave out as gifts.  He enjoyed gardening and otherwise tending to thirsty plants.

Strong Nation Church

3780 S. 4 ^th Ave

Yuma, Az. 85365

Pastor Frank Pavon

Cemetery:

Fort Sill Cemetery

Fort Sill, OK