Norine L. Mackey

Norine was born September 17, 1954 in Marquette, Michigan to Elton and Grace Burkman. Her father spent 20 years in the Army, allowing the family to live in both Japan and Germany. Norine married Tom Mackey in 1979, and together they shared 45 happy years. She felt fortunate to be a stay at home mom during her son's childhoods. It was during this time that she graduated from Rock Valley College. Norine worked part time at Venice Terrazzo and Tile (her mother's company) for 25 years. This was the perfect job where she could bring her therapy dog, Mitzi, to work. Norine trained her "therapy dog" through THI. Mitzi went on to be a therapy dog for Roc-Vale Children's Home. She later became a therapy dog for Heartland Hospice.

She was an active volunteer with the Harlem School District 1st graders for 13 years. She called this her "grandma fix." She also helped at the Helping Hands Food Pantry. Norine and Tom fostered dogs through the Winnebago County Animal Shelter and Care for Pets. Throughout the years, they fostered a total of 24 dogs.

Norine passed away on Wednesday, December 4, 2024 after a short battle with cancer. She is survived by her husband, Tom J. Mackey; son, Patrick (Lori); son, Sean; sister, Carol (Al) Benz. She was preceded in death by her mother, Grace Gebhardt-Smith; her father, Elton Burkman and her best friend, Caren Demus.

The family would like to extend a special thank you to Serenity Hospice for their loving and compassionate care of Norine during this difficult time.

A memorial visitation for Norine will be held Saturday, December 14, 2024 from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM at GPS Faith Community, 11189 Forest Hills Road, Machesney Park, IL 61115, followed by a memorial service at 11:00 AM.