Norene was born on March 15, 1925, in Pleasant Hill, MO, to Roy Garland Wilburn and Bessie Edna Norton Wilburn. When Norene was about four years old, the family moved to a farm near Archie, MO, where she grew up, graduating from Archie High School in 1942 and attending Central Missouri State Teachers College to prepare to be a teacher. She was a member of Archie First Baptist Church in her youth, then Harrisonville Antioch Baptist Church, and recently First Baptist Church in Marshall, MO.
On May 12, 1944, she married Alvin “Pete” Mawson in a double wedding ceremony with Pete’s sister, Dorothy Mawson and Lyle Vansandt. Norene accompanied Pete to San Antonio during his training making their first home there. Pete departed shortly after, for service in the Indo-China theater during World War II and while he served overseas, Norene returned to Archie. Upon his return from WWII, Norene and Pete made their family home on the Mawson farm just south of Archie and their family grew with the birth of Gary Alan in 1947 and Janice Kay in 1948. Pete passed away on June 30, 1957, after a tragic accident. Norene, Gary, and Janice moved into her parent’s home for several years. Norene began working at a local drug store in Archie and moved the family into a home she built in town near her mother-in-law, Mary Mawson. She soon purchased the drug store and ran it while the kids were in school.
On July 12, 1969, Norene married Charles “Chuck” Harold Blaylock from Onaga, Kansas, and the couple soon moved to a new home in Raytown and Norene began working at the IRS. When Longview Lake was created, their home was part of the lake property so Norene and Chuck moved to Harrisonville where they made their home until 2014 when they moved to Marshall, MO, to be closer to family.
Norene developed a love of cooking, baking and quilting from her mother. She was known for her fantastic cobblers, chicken and noodles, and fabulous cake decorating. She always had a quilt in work, and competed in several local quilt shows, as well as, the State Fair winning awards nearly every time she entered. She and Chuck built a craft room into the basement and both enjoyed all types of crafts with Chuck helping Norene with any of the woodworking or tools needed to make things. Norene also enjoyed sports. She, Pete and Gary made several fishing trips to Canada with family and friends and she enjoyed fishing into her 90s. Norene also bowled in leagues for many years, took up golf so she and Chuck could play together, and learned tennis in her 70s so she could play matches with friends. Always active, in her 80s she volunteered at the church thrift shop in Harrisonville. Norene loved traveling—she and Chuck took annual driving trips around the US to various national parks and sights, and she and Jan enjoyed several cruises to see more of the world.
The most important thing to Norene was her family, from raising and supporting her children, nephews, nieces, siblings, and extended family to being active in her grandchildren’s activities and teaching them crafts and cooking. Her legacy of kindness, hope, and caring lives on through them.
Norene was preceded in death by her parents; both husbands; and siblings: Roy Garland Wilburn, Jr. and Norma Louise Wilburn Heuser. Survivors include: Gary Alan and Deborah Lynn Montgomery Mawson of Marshall, MO; Janice Kay Mawson of Kansas City, MO; grandchildren: Kimberly Corrine Mawson & Jeffrey Ronald Ullmann of Kansas City, MO; and their daughter, Lillian Elizabeth; Brett Taylor Mawson of Columbia, MO; and his children: Alicia Hope Mawson of Springfield, MO; and Kaulin Jade, Brody Allen, and Kaidence Marie of Columbia, MO.
