Erma Gertrude Froman was born September 13, 1921 to George William "Bill" and Frances Evelyn "Eva" (Taylor) Froman at their family home seven miles southeast of Valentine which they had purchased in 1916. The family moved to the Thatcher area and lived there from 1922 to 1926 while her father was a section foreman for the railroad. They then moved back to their home where she lived nearly all of her life.
Erma attended a rural school near her home through the 8th grade, and she graduated from Valentine High School in 1939. After she graduated, she did secretarial work for Valentine High School, the County Extension Office, and the Sandhills Cattle Association.

On January 23, 1943, she married Merle Eugene Paxson, and in June 1943 he was inducted into the Army and served in the South Pacific and with the Army of Occupation in Japan. He then returned to Valentine where they lived until the fall of 1948 when they moved out to her home place after her mother's death. She lived there until October of 2007 when she moved back to Valentine after Merle's death in May of that year. On December 13th, 2016 she moved to Cherry Hills Estates where she lived until her death on January 10, 2017 at the Cherry County Hospital.

Erma and Merle had two daughters, Barbara Jane and Kathleen Marie. Her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren were the joy of her life. Other activities she enjoyed were Bible studies, traveling, gardening, knitting, crocheting, ceramics, reading, puzzles of all kinds, word games, and she was an avid Husker football and volleyball fan.

Erma, a woman of great faith, was a member of The First Baptist Church where she did a lot of volunteer work. She was a Girl Scout leader, a Pink Lady at the hospital for over 20 years, and a member of the Happy Homemakers Extension Club for many years.

Preceding Erma in death, were her parents, her husband Merle, grandsons Kent Randall Grooms and Tod Ryan Keller, her sister Twila Colburn, and a brother Walter. Surviving her are her daughters Jane (Gerald "Jerry") Grooms and Kathy (Robert) Keller; grandchildren Kevin (Christine) Grooms, Kort (Tracy) Grooms, Amy (Troy) Hanson, and Shane (Karen) Keller; great- grandchildren Megan (Jake) Seeley, Ty Keller, Marissa and Caleb Grooms, Morgan Fritsch, Jon, Michaela, and Bryan Keller, Braden and Taylor Hanson; great- great- grandchildren Clara and Madelyn Seeley; her niece Glenda (Bill) McMaster along with many relatives and friends.

She was a wonderful loving mother, grandmother and friend, and she will be sadly missed, but her beautiful memory will live on. In her own words "I've had a good life and I'm very thankful."

Funeral service will be at 2:00 PM on Jan. 13 at First Baptist Church in Valentine. Burial will follow at Mt. Hope Cemetery. Visitation will be on Jan.12 at 7:30 at the funeral home.