Roger J. Norris

Roger John Norris
1929 — 2016
ORD — Roger J. Norris, 86, of Ord passed away peacefully Friday, May 13, 2016.
Memorial service was held Thursday, May 19, at Chalk Hills Community Church in Scotia. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Chalk Hills Community Church, 206 S. Doane St, Scotia, NE, 68875.
Roger J. Norris was born Dec. 28, 1929, to Carl Roger and Mildred Helen Norris in Genesseo, N.Y. When the school semester was over in June 1930, the family moved to Portageville, N.Y. Roger was not given a middle name for the birth certificate. His paternal grandfather, Rev. John W. Norris, desired a grandson named after himself and to promote his wish, he sent a gift to his new grandson, addressed to “Master John Norris.”
In 1942, the family moved to Buffalo, N.Y., where Carl took a machinist job with Curtiss Wright. Roger finished his education at Burgard Vocational High School and soon after began driving truck for his brother-in-law, in Castile, N.Y., and hauling milk from the farms to the dairy in Buffalo, N.Y.
In 1952, Roger married Eileen O. McEntarfer. In 1954, Roger was drafted into the Army for two years, with basic training in Ft. Knox, Ky. From there, he was sent to Ft. Devens, Mass., to attend school with the ASA. After schooling there, he was shipped to Ft. Huachuca, Ariz. While stationed in Arizona, it was learned that he and his wife would be eligible to adopt children. For them, that was not possible in New York State. When separated from the Army, after one year of work and then a year at Nashville Auto-Diesel College, Roger and his wife moved to Phoenix, Ariz. Arriving there in August of 1958, the process of adopting a child was begun. In nine months, the adoption agency brought Walter Leonard, a beautiful two-month-old boy, and placed him in the home. After working at odd jobs for a couple of years, a chance to hire on with the city of Phoenix in 1960 as a heavy duty mechanic was offered. Roger’s marriage to Eileen ended in divorce in 1971.
In 1972, Roger met and married Lucille B. Woodman (Currie). In 1983, Lucille retired from Honeywell and Roger retired from the city of Phoenix. They moved to Bartlett, Neb., where they bought a home and a 15-acre tract on the very edge of town. In July 2011, Lucille was moved to the assisted living section of the Greeley Care Home. Roger took up residence in Ord.
As a teenager, Roger accepted Christ as personal savior and was baptized soon afterward. Throughout the remainder of his life, Roger was devoted to the church and serving the Lord.
Roger is survived by his wife, Lucille Norris of Greeley; son, Walter (Shirley) Norris of Peoria, Ariz.; stepdaughter, Janiece (Ron) Saxton of Prescott, Ariz.; stepsons, Paul (Susan) Woodman of Indianapolis, Ind., and Mark Woodman of Phoenix; and brothers, William Norris of Fredonia, N.Y., and Ronald Norris of Vinita, Okla.
He was preceded in death by parents, Carl and Mildred Norris, and his sisters, Jean Smith and Laura Hoover.