May was born August 30, 1924 at Normantown, West Virgina, the second of twelve children born to Okey and Mabel (Domer) Norman.  She moved with her parents to Esmond, ND  in May of 1932.  May attended grade school in West Virginia,  Isabel School near Esmond, the Hesper School and graduated in 1942 from the Benson County Agricultural and Training School in Maddock.  She then attended Minot State College and taught at Ft. Totten and at the Arne School, rural Maddock.  May married Weyburn Sorlie April 27, 1946, at Harvey, ND.  The couple farmed in Arne Township until moving into Maddock in 1960 where they owned and operated the Palace Café for eleven years.  May then worked for twenty five years at Plum's Hardware and at the Maddock Thrifty White Drug until she retired in 2004.  Weyburn died February 5, 1987.  May spent the last two winters with her daughter and son-in-law at Rugby.

May was a member of North Viking Lutheran Church in Maddock, where she was active in the WELCA, Sunday School and Vacation Bible School.  She will be remembered as a loving mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and sister, who helped raise her brothers and sisters.  May enjoyed cooking, canning, sewing and watching bull riding.

Survivors include a son and daughter-in-law:  Duane and Diane Sorlie of Escondido, CA;  a daughter and son-in-law:  Linda and Arden Warner of Rugby, ND;  4 grandchildren:  Todd (Deanne) Warner,  Matthew Sorlie,  Megan (Jorge) Hernandez and Shane (Renata) Warner; 3 great-grandchildren:  Ashley, Karley and Ryleigh Warner;  her siblings:  Monroe (Joy) Norman of Maddock,  Helen (Dick) Johnson of Fargo,  Olive (Curt) Burnham of Glyndon, MN;  sisters-in-laws:  Sherry Norman of Duvall, WA,  Darlene Norman of Esmond, ND,  Shirley Norman of Valley City, ND and Marcella (Earl) Swanson of Apache Junction, AZ and a brother-in-law:  Marvin Wachtel of Cathay, ND.

She was preceded in death by her parents;  husband;  siblings:  Perry, Elmer,  Walter,  Okey,  Amy Tootoosis,  Arkie Rieger,  Alice Erickson and Karroll Wachtel.