Obituary of Edward Norris

His family includes a son, James Edward Norris and his wife Tracy Cheah and former daughter in-law, Marilia Acmeth Matos, all of Silver Spring, Maryland; a daughter Madonna Therese and husband Terrence Michael Lechner of Grayslake, Illinois; two grandsons, Sean Patrick and Brian Daniel Norris, a granddaughter Theresa Marie Lechner, a nephew Louis Eckermann, and two nieces Judy Conner and Geraldine Downs. Ed was the last living member of his family. He was preceded in death by his parents, wife Anne Marie on February 26, 1982, and two brothers and four sisters. The Gay and Ciha Funeral and Cremation Service are caring for Ed's family and his services. Edward was born on April 12, 1907, in Cosgrove, Iowa, the son of James Aloysius and California Mae (Everett) Norris. Like many of his contemporaries in eastern Iowa, he was the grandson of post-famine Irish. Ed's mother was largely responsible for founding a Catholic school, St. Peter's, in Cosgrove. Ed attended St. Peter's School in Cosgrove, St. Ambrose High School and St. Ambrose University in Davenport and the University of Iowa. At St. Ambrose, he played football, basketball and baseball and was a violinist in the orchestra. His favorite subjects were Physics, Latin and German. At St. Ambrose, his nickname was "Czar" because he often said: "Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." At the University of Iowa, he was on the boxing team. His coach Rosco Hall was a former professional fighter. Local folklore has it that Ed knocked out several antagonists who had offended his father. On August 21, 1946, he married Anne Marie Marsh in Brooklyn, New York. Ed and his brother Tom farmed for three decades on a 180 acre farm near Cosgrove; in 1960 they sold the farm. Ed continued a budding career as an electrician prompted by Franklin D. Roosevelt's Rural Electrification Act. Ed managed his own electrical business for approximately 35 years. For several years he also was a journeyman electrician with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, AFLCIO local 405, Cedar Rapids. His memberships included St. Peter Catholic Church, St. Patrick Catholic Church, a former member of the Knights of Columbus and Iowa Mountaineers. In his retirement years, he honed his considerable skills as a mechanic and taught himself to arc weld. He continued to play the violin, including Irish jigs and reels, and to study German. He was an avid fisherman well into his sixties. Memorials may be given to Home Safe, 320 South Linn, Iowa City, Iowa.