In 2017, mutual friends introduced Norm to Carol Gunneman. Norm and Shirley were active members of at Christ Memorial Church in Holland and Valley Presbyterian Church in Green Valley, AZ. Norm and Shirley returned to Holland to be close to family and Shirley passed away in 2015. The cabin’s rural location wasn’t ideal for treatment and after much discussion, the cabin was sold (but only after Norm secured lifetime hunting rights). He and Shirley quickly found new friends and spent time with hiking clubs, hunting clubs, volunteer groups, and socializing. Norm’s joy in exploring and learning about the Southwest was infectious. In retirement, Norm and Shirley spent summers in the beloved cabin on Hamlin Lake and winters in Green Valley, Arizona. The cabin provided a home base for deer hunting, fishing, hiking, water skiing, and family adventures that will never be forgotten. His lifelong love of nature and the outdoors led to purchasing land on Hamlin Lake and hand- building a lakeside cabin with the help of friends, neighbors, and family. These adventures lead both boys to develop a strong love for the west, with Ryan living in Colorado and Andy living in Nevada. Norm’s passion for his summer research work was only equaled by the love for his sons, so they were often found right alongside Norm and his students during the field season. Norm and Shirley had two sons, Andy and Ryan. His enthusiasm and excellence as a teacher and mentor inspired many of his students to love learning, with several having gone on to pursue successful careers in the field of geology. Also, while at Grand Valley, Norm developed a Water Resources Institute and later founded the GVSU Teaching and Learning Center. These grants allowed Norm and his students to do extensive research in SW Alaska, Denmark, Greenland, the Antarctic, and throughout the Western United States, including working on the Calypso with Jacques Cousteau. Norm’s academic accomplishments were many, but his largest successes were multiple Nation Science Foundation grants that funded his research (including the first million-dollar grant awarded to Grand Valley State University). In 1973, Norm accepted a faculty position at Grand Valley State University where he taught and continued his research for more than 30 years. Shirley and Norm returned to western Michigan to be nearer to family with a desire to raise their children in a Christian environment. He then did a post-doctoral fellowship at Ohio State University Institute of Polar Studies. He went on to earn his MS with a specialty in Glacial Geomorphology at Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania and then completed his PhD at the University of Washington. Norm fast tracked his new major in Geology, graduating from U of M in 1966. Norm called Shirley his “Christmas in July” her birthday was July 25. While at U of M, Norm met Shirley Bishop and they married on June 4th, 1967. He attended the University of Michigan with the intent of pursuing Dentistry, but one geology course was all it took to turn him to his life’s calling. After graduating from Shelby High School, he went to Hope College, graduating with degrees in Biology and Chemistry. He developed a deep love of the outdoors and the natural world that stayed with him throughout his life. He had many childhood adventures growing up on a small farm with a creek and cedar swamp in rural New Era, Michigan. Norm was born May 17th, 1943, in Shelby, Michigan to Lawrence and Louise (Wissman) TenBrink. He went peacefully to be with his Lord and Savior. TenBrink, age 79, passed away on March 30, 2023, after a valiant four-year battle with leukemia.
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