Dressage Community Remembers Nora Grassmyer
Photos and article by: Lindsay Y. McCall
El Dorado Hills, CA – December 23, 2014 – On December 19, 2014, the Dressage Community lost friend, volunteer, and parent Nora Grassmyer after a three year battle with bladder cancer. Nora was heavily involved with the Dressage and Para-Dressage disciplines both internationally and at the national level. She was also a longtime volunteer at the California Dressage shows managed by Connie Davenport. Nora was a driving force behind her daughter and Paralympian Barbara Grassmyer. She was there at every moment for Barbara including when Barbara served as an alternate for the U.S. Paralympic Team in 2000, competing in Sydney, Australia; in 2001 and 2002 when Barbara was the USEF Para-Equestrian Dressage National Champion;in 2004 when Barbara was selected for the Athens Paralympics; in 2006, when Barbara and her own horse Mibis earned the Gold Medal at the Pacific Rim Barbara was a member of the U.S. Team at the Para-Dressage World Championships in Hartpury, England; in 2008, when Barbara was on the U.S. Para-Dressage Team for the Beijing Paralympics; and in 2013 when Barbara retired her long partner Mibis at the Rancho Murieta Dressage Show. Nora and her husband Bob were strong supporters of the Para-Dressage discipline and they were important in the furthering of the Para-Equestrian sport.
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Nora Grassmyer, Mibis, Barbara Grassmyer, and Bob Grassmyer. Photo (c) Lindsay Y. McCall.
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Hope Hand, Paralympian, President of The USPEA, and friend expressed, “Nora was our Para Equestrian Mom and volunteered tirelessly by supporting all of our competitions at home and abroad. Nora liked to work behind the scenes scoring our tests because it made her too nervous to watch her daughter compete. Nora, along with her husband Bob were our biggest fans. Thank you Barb for letting us share your Mom. We all loved and respected her commitment to her family and the contributions she made to further the sport of Para Dressage. I will really miss my good friend, but I will hold on to the memories and the good times we had.”
Nora passed away at her home in El Dorado Hills, CA, surrounded by family. She is survived by her husband Bob, daughters Barbara, Jennifer, and Margy and 6 grandchildren. Nora will be buried at St. Mary’s Catholic Mortuary in Sacramento, CA.
