Norma Tuma Brinson

Aiken, SC - Norma Lois Tuma Brinson, age 89, residing in Aiken, SC went home to be with her Lord and Savior on Thursday, October 28, 2021.

Mrs. Brinson was born August 17, 1932 in Kingsville, TX, the fifth child of Stannie Lee Wotipka and Wallace Martin Tuma.

Mrs. Brinson attended school La Feria, TX where she graduated from La Feria High School in 1949.  In high school, she played on the tennis team, was on the pep squad, and was a member of the girls’ chorus and library club.  An avid reader, she said she read nearly every new book that came into the school and public libraries.  After high school, she worked as a typist and billing clerk at the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA).

In the summer of 1954, she met the love of her life, Lt. Alfred Brinson while he was fulfilling an ROTC assignment at Gary Air Force Base in San Marcos, TX.  They dated every night for three months and became engaged before he returned for his last year of law school in Chapel Hill, NC.  On June 6, 1955, they were married in San Marcos, TX.  

During her active life, she was a Sunday School teacher and Women’s Missionary Union leader in her church.  She volunteered at her children’s school libraries and at the thrift shop where ever they were stationed.  She was skilled in many fiber arts. She loved to knit sweaters, crochet blankets, sew garments, and upholster furniture. She was also active in politics and fair elections. She worked on the campaigns of Senator Helms, Governor Martin, and Congressman Walter Jones of North Carolina.

An accomplished cook, Mrs. Brinson was known for her delicious meals.  She spent hours preparing and cooking comforting meals for her family, hosting friends and relatives, and serving pastors and missionaries in her home.  When people gathered, she showed her love by making sure everyone was well-fed.  She took courses in Chinese cooking and cake decorating in order to perfect those skills.  At the insistence of her grandchildren, she self-published a cookbook of her favorite recipes.  Several of her recipes were published in Taste of Home cookbooks.

Mrs. Brinson was a loyal and devoted wife to her husband and loving mother to her children, moving with her family the in the Air Force to seven states, England, and Japan.  She and her husband retired in 1983 to Greenville, NC where they resided for 34 years. In 2017, when they needed help with daily living, they relocated to Aiken, SC to live with their daughter’s family.

Mrs. Brinson always said that the most important decision of her life was the one she made for eternity: accepting Jesus as her Savior.  She was a member of Unity Free Will Baptist Church, Greenville, NC, for nearly thirty years before moving to Aiken, SC.

She was preceded in death by her husband of 63 years, Lt. Col. (retired) Alfred Cameron Brinson; parents, Stannie Lee Wotipka and Wallace Martin Tuma; two young brothers who passed before she was born, Byron and Francis Tuma; and her adoring and beloved older sisters, Cleo Tuma Broadway and Mildred Tuma Bush.

Norma Brinson is survived and her loss is mourned by daughters Kathleen Brinson Fountain and husband Noah of Farmington, NM; Laura Brinson Temple and husband Thomas of Aiken, SC; and son, James Douglas Brinson of Dothan, AL. She is also survived and loved by fourteen grandchildren, James Fountain and wife, Lauren; Thomas Fountain and wife, Deana; Douglas Fountain; Jonathan Fountain; Cason Brinson; Daniel Brinson; Reagan Brinson; Bradley Temple and wife, Hannah; Ryan Temple and wife Megan; Abby Temple St. Clair and husband, Jonathan; Lacy Temple Tesdall and husband Cedrick; Holly Temple; Maggie Temple; and Caleb Temple.

She is survived and missed by fifteen great-grandchildren, Cameron Dean Fountain; Alyson Leigh Fountain; Landon Taylor Fountain; William Logan Fountain; Emma Bentley Fountain; Lacey Ann Fountain; Lillian Ava Fountain; Kyle Brinson St. Clair; Ellee Renee St. Clair; Sadie Kate St. Clair; Rose Michele St. Clair; Jeremiah Cobb Temple; Keegan Bradley Temple; David Charles Temple; and Wayne Alfred Tesdall.

Services and burial at Amity Christian Church and Cemetery, 7022 Neuse Road, Grantsboro, NC.  (Pamlico County) on Saturday, November 6, 2021 at 1PM.  Jeff Manning, senior pastor, Unity Free Will Baptist Church, Greenville, NC officiating.

Arrangements by Shellhouse-Rivers Funeral Home, Aiken, SC and Bryant Funeral Home Alliance, NC