Norma Esther Hill Gummelt passed away in Austin on October 11, 2013. She was 97. Anyone who sat in Norma’s kitchen to share a piece of her homemade pecan pie and a cup of coffee invariably noticed a little plaque on the wall with the words, “Prayer Changes Things,” and below that, in smaller letters, “When Ye Pray, Believe – Mark 11:24.” The plaque wasn’t mere decoration: Norma was a lifelong servant of Christ and strong believer in prayer.
Norma lived in Austin for more than 60 years, a third-generation Texan. Born in Kyle on June 24, 1916, she was a daughter of Otto Hill and Minnie Schmeltekopf Hill. Norma left Kyle as a young woman and, just prior to World War II, married Lee Cagle, a Navy Seaman from Oklahoma. They had two children before divorcing in the early 1950s. In 1954, Norma, now back in Austin, met “the love of her life” Robert “Chris” Koerschgen, an Army helicopter mechanic stationed at Gary Army Air Base near San Marcos. The couple married and had a daughter. Chris passed away in 1986. Several years later, Norma met and married Louis Gummelt. They enjoyed traveling extensively, visiting such places as Hawaii, Washington, DC and Nashville. Louis passed away in 2001. Norma retired from the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts after 25 years of service. Norma is survived by her three children: Don Cagle of Houston, Kathleen Bergeron of Reston, Virginia, and Tina Tout of Austin, five grandchildren: Lee Cagle of Austin, Shannon Wimberley of Kyle, Mark Passell of San Marcos, Shane Cagle of Katy, and Evan Cagle and Caitlin Cagle of Los Angeles, great grandchildren Cayden and McKenna Wilberley, and nieces, nephews and friends too numerous to mention. Friends are cordially invited to a visitation with the family from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m., on Monday, Oct. 14, 2013, at Cook-Walden Funeral Home, on North Lamar in Austin. Graveside services will be private, but a memorial service will be held afterward at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2013, in the Christ Chapel of Hyde Park Baptist Church, Austin, Texas. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that those interested make a donation to their favorite charity. A favorite of Norma’s was the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Condolences may be sent to www.cookwaldenfuneralhome.com.