We’ll miss you Norman
Today was a really hard day at Bloomin’ – the hardest day we have ever known in our company’s 16 years. Our longest standing employee of 13 years, Norman Tankersley, passed away during the night at 42 years of age. Norm was differently abled and shared his gifts with all of us in immeasurable ways. He will be missed forever by everyone he touched. He helped us all appreciate the small things and live in the moment. He greeted his coworkers each day with bear hugs and announced his arrival with boisterous ramblings over the company intercom system. He loved being a part of our team and dreaded the arrival of his bus at the end of each day. New acquaintances were often surprised by his enthusiastic handshake or romantic kiss on the back of the lucky ladies’ hands. He loved laughing out loud at our missteps, fumbles, and stumbles throughout the day, reminding everyone not to take themselves too seriously. He has been there for all of us through the good times and the bad, helping to keep everything in perspective, like no one else possibly could. We will miss him and will never forget him. We are grateful for the unselfish gifts he shared and the lessons he unknowingly (or knowingly) taught us each day. We love you Norman. We miss you Norman!
Norm Tankersley 1966-2009
I want to send my sympathies to the Bloomin Family. My daughter Mikayla and I heard of Norman’s passing and immediatly thought of those wonderful kisses and bear-hugs. Norman would carry Mikayla around making her feel so special every time we came in. He touched our lives and will always hold a special place in our hearts. We love you Norman