Dr. Norrie Thomas has built a life and career at the intersection of innovation, imagination, and storytelling. A 1983 graduate of the University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy’s Social & Administrative Pharmacy doctorate program, she spent four decades in managed care pharmacy. Along the way, she launched a successful company, served as director of pharmacy for one of the Twin Cities’ first health maintenance organizations, and helped design information systems that improved communication between pharmacists and physicians. Her work reimagined how pharmacy could better serve both providers and patients.

A lifelong dreamer, Norrie has always found meaning in writing. She began journaling as a teenager, later published Death Under the Oak, a murder mystery inspired by the love and life she shared with her late husband, Forrest, and then turned to children’s fiction with The Hackensack Cafe Adventures, drawn from adventures with her grandchildren and her own Minnesota childhood.

Her experiences as both a professional and a grandmother inspired Grand News—a service dedicated to helping people capture their life stories and preserve their most meaningful memories. Through thoughtful interviews, collaborative editing, and polished final formats, Norrie transforms personal histories into beautifully crafted narratives. For her, it is a way to honor the importance of writing, build legacies, and create treasures that connect grandparents, families, and future generations.

Whether advancing the pharmacy profession or celebrating stories through Grand News, Norrie continues to blend creativity and purpose—believing that every life lived deserves to be a story told.