Norma Rae Beatty was born on December 27, 1935 in Helena, Montana, a fourth generation Montanan. Her parents were Raymond Wesley and Ella Mae Lamb Beatty. She graduated from Helena High School in 1953 and in 1957 graduated from the University of Montana School of Journalism. She spent her summers working for the Helena Independent Record. Following college graduation, she worked for Life magazine in New York for four years. In 1961, she returned to Great Falls, Montana, and went to work for KRTV Montana, writing documentaries and producing and hosting the show, "Today in Montana." Her television career lasted twenty-six years.

On September 5, 1964, Norma Beatty married Shirley Carter Ashby, a third generation Montanan and banker. Norma Ashby was also active in civic affairs, serving on the Montana Territorial Centennial Commission, the Advisory Committee on Children and Youth, and the Bicentennial Commission. In 1967, Ashby served as the Organizing President for the Montana Big Sky Chapter of American Women in Radio and Television (AWRT), an organization dedicated to advancing the impact of women in the media. She was an originator of the C.M. Russell Auction and was involved with the Cascade County Historical Society. In 1976, she was active in a campaign to name a state fish (by popular vote, the black spotted cutthroat trout was selected). In 1989, Ashby and Rex C. Myers wrote the booklet, Symbols of Montana, for Montana's 100th Anniversary of Statehood. The booklet described the historic developments of various state symbols, including the seal, flag, song, bird, fish, and more.