Glise-Norris, Tamara S. 1958-2024 St. Joseph, Mo.

By NewsPress Now

Tamara “Tammy” Glise-Norris, 66, St. Joseph, calmly passed at home on March, 2, 2024, following a courageous battle with cancer.

She was born Jan. 22, 1958, in St. Joseph, to Wyllis LeRoy Glise (d. 1998) and Alma Jeannine Glise (nee Borngesser).

Tammy attended St. Joseph’s Blair, Hall, and Bliss schools and graduated from Central High School in 1976. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in English Literature from Missouri Western State College, St. Joseph, and a Master’s of Library Science at the University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri.

She held positions in research and librarianship at Rolling Hills Library, St. Joseph, and Cedar Rapids Public Library, Iowa, prior to her position at Missouri Western, St. Joseph, where she administered special-needs testing to students and organized all international study abroad programs.

Among many other accolades, during her tenure in Cedar Rapids, her library was destroyed during the 2008 flood. Tammy, with her team of 10 coworkers, donned hazmat suits and for several days waded through 4-feet of stagnant water in the library to save holdings, including hundreds of priceless original drawings from children’s books penned by ‘Dr. Seuss,’ Margaret and Hans Rey (authors of “Curious George”), and countless other illustrations, appraised at millions of dollars.

Upon her inspection of the library’s flood damage and recognizing that Cedar Rapids is “Sister-City” of Prague, Czechoslovakia, Tammy personally called Pavel Bem, then mayor of Prague, and requested assistance.

Unexpectedly, the next week, Bem flew to Cedar Rapids to meet with Tammy and following their lunch, he asked how Prague could help the library. Tammy flatly responded, “We need money to reconstruct.” Bem immediately arranged the transfer of several hundred thousand dollars to the Cedar Rapids Library.

News of their audacious meeting reached the American Library Association who immediately selected Tammy as “2009 Librarian of the Year,” an honor that Tammy refused, “…unless my entire team is also recognized.” The Library Association readily agreed to this unprecedented request.

At her award ceremony (Seattle, 2009) Tammy reminded attendees that FEMA (then) ranked libraries as 16th on the list of “critical reconstruction entities” following a natural disaster. As she stated in her acceptance speech, “If electricity and Wi-Fi are down, libraries are the only source of reconstruction information for our citizens and we need to go Washington and get this fixed!”

Per her actions, and following those Congressional hearings, all U.S. libraries were requalified by FEMA as “critical reconstruction sites” following a natural disaster.

A voracious reader, international traveler, cook, gardner, and animal lover, Tammy leaves behind her husband, Jim Norris, of the home; her mother, Jeannine Borngesser-Glise, both of St. Joseph; two brothers, Anthony LeRoy Glise, Sainghin-en-Melantois, France, and Christopher Guy Glise, Savannah; children, Hermione Drake Filbert-Roman (Andy), of Independence, Iowa, Morgan Graham Filbert (Sarah), of St. Joseph; grandchildren, Lilly Warbass, Rose, Daisy, and Violet Roman, and Talisa Filbert; stepchildren, Tabitha Sue Norris, Jessica Rolleen Norris; step-grandchildren, James Roman, Amaya Jaide, Cassidy Raye Lee, and Malachi Jordan Norris, Avarii Rose and Kaleya Jade Dillard, Hiro Kingston Pollard; and many nieces, nephews, cousins, colleagues, and countess dear friends.

Farewell Services and Public Livestream 2 p.m. Sunday, March 10, Meierhoffer Funeral Home & Crematory.

In lieu of a graveside ceremony, Tammy’s ashes will be distributed at some of her favorite sites throughout the U.S. and Europe.

Tamara asked that donations be sent to www.wildlifesos.org.

Online guest book and obituary at www.meierhoffer.com. As published in the St. Joseph News-Press.