Former Utah first lady Norma Matheson dies at 89

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Former Utah first lady Norma Matheson has died at age 89.

Lt. Governor Chief of Staff Kirsten Rappleye said Monday that family members confirmed Matheson died Sunday night.

Norma Matheson served as first lady alongside Democratic Gov. Scott Matheson from 1977 through 1985. More recently, she helped launch the Count My Vote that changed Utah’s primary process.

She was from Nephi and earned a bachelor’s degree in zoology at the University of Utah.

The couple wed in 1951 and raised four children, including former Democratic Congressman Jim Matheson and federal appeals court Judge Scott Matheson Jr. The former governor died in 1990.

Her children said in a statement that she “brought empathy, grace and common sense to everything she did.”