Norm Travis

April 1931 – January 2021

Norman Dean Travis was born April 30, 1931, to Orvetta and Al Travis. He was raised by Orvetta’s parents, Roy and Gertie George, or as you would hear him call them, Mom and Dad. 

He grew up in and around Vona and graduated from Vona High School in May 1948. 

Ever mischievous, one would hear all his stories of childhood like when the water tank in town would freeze in the winter and he and his friends would sled down the ice, “some of us got our heads cracked a time or two.” Although he always had fun, he was never one to back down from what he thought was right. He drove the bus towards the end of high school and had to kick a kid off and make him walk home because he just wouldn’t stop pulling on a little girl’s pigtails. 

Norm loved the game of baseball, he played in high school and then in the minor leagues in the Kansas-Oklahoma-Missouri League, a New York Yankee affiliate as a pitcher. A shoulder injury stopped him from playing the game, but not from loving it. He went to the Babe Ruth Leagues in 1957 and served at all levels as a local secretary/treasurer, the vice president to Colorado State Commissioner, Midwest Plains Assistant Regional Manager, and in 1986 he was the Midwest Plains Regional Commissioner; automatically making him a member of the board of directors. 

Up until his passing, he worked with Babe Ruth and held his board position, a position that will remain vacant in his name. In 2010 ,he was inducted into the Babe Ruth Hall of Fame. One of his uniforms can be found in the Old Town Museum in Burlington. 

He not only loved playing and working with baseball, but he also loved to watch his children, grandchildren and great grandchildren grow love and respect for the game. 

While he was playing ball, he decided to go out dancing one night, and that’s where he met the love of his life Colleen Zogg. They dated and went dancing every weekend, and soon got married on June 11, 1950. Of course, being the baseball lover he was, they spent their honeymoon watching baseball in Denver. 

Not very long after, their first child Mary Lou was born March 1951, followed by Cindy Lee in June 1953, Gary Dean in March 1955, and Larry Gene in February 1957. 

Family was always the most important thing to Norm, and the most influential people in his life were his family. His grandmas, Gertie George and Alice Shannon, were his role models along with his uncle, Sam Travis. 

He took care of his family and held it together through the loss of two children and eventually his wife. He always made sure his kids, grandkids, and great grandkids were taken care of no matter the circumstances. He supported the kids and grandkids, and later great grandkids in all of their athletic ventures. 

He and Colleen would travel and take the grandkids to their events. This support wasn’t just for their family, but also for the many kids Norm interacted with in the Babe Ruth League. He and Colleen could be found at many tournaments showing their support. Babe Ruth League recognized their support with a sportsmanship award in their name that is given at every regional tournament, baseball and softball, the Norm and Colleen Travis Sportsmanship Award. 

Norm was preceded in death by his parents, Al Travis and Orvetta Pierce; wife, Colleen Travis; son, Larry; daughter, Cindy; and special companion, Ruth. 

He is at peace and reunited with his loved ones. 

He is survived by his daughter, Mary; son, Gary; and son-in-law, Jim. He is also survived by grandchildren Holly and Tony, Heidi and Tammy, Shasta and Mark, Chancy and Amber, Rachael, Taylor and Cole, and Jayden; great grandchildren Logan, Alexi, Britt, Dru, Max, Porter, Archer and Emmitt Lane on the way; half-sister, Rae Ann; sister-in-law, Peggy and husband Ken; and many special family and friends. 

Memorial contributions may be made to the Babe Ruth Organization or to the Burlington Activities Department in Norman’s memory and may be left at or sent to Love Funeral Home, 377 15th Street, Burlington, Colorado 80807. A public memorial service will be held at a later date.

Arrangements were under the direction of Love Funeral Home.