Hey you... Oh Norman. My heart is broken and I just hope yours is finally at peace my friend. Im so sorry to only being learning of your passing now. I know you would tell me to keep my chin up, that you're proud of me and not to hold on to guilt. We fell out of touch after my move. Our regular phone calls lessoned over time and while I missed you and thought of you so often, I just hoped I'd find you when I visited kelowna. You've been on my mind alot lately, and for some reason it occurred to search "Norman, guitar player, kelowna, obituary." 
Those were key words to find you on the internet, but you are so much more to the world and to me. You saved my life, more than once, just by being you, by being there for me. A talented musician and  artist, a beautiful friend, a motivator, compassionate, smart, genuinely funny, brave, resilient, and a fighter through and through. You were a rock in my mental health journey, truly, one of the few people that I felt safe and calm to spend time with. And we sure spent hours together. What I wouldn't give to spend one more day in the art room with you.
While my heart breaks, I know your on my team of angels. 
Rest easy Norm.💔

You're friend, forever. 
Janette

For months after you passed, I called you. Just to hear your voice, and sometimes I left you messages. I imagined you calling me back, your "hey you" on the other end of the phone. I miss you. When I drive down Pandosy past your old place, I think of you. When I think of the ways your creative spirit touched peoples lives, your music lessons at CMHA, poetry at Metro and the Gospel Mission, how you would reach out to others in KGH with whatever you could give and give it selflessly. I have photos that remind me of you. I have poems. I have a painting you did for me. The other day a memory came up on FB to remind me of our Little Free Library…remember the day we went out and picked up a dressed at ReStore, and then you helped me to adapt it, then painted an eagle on one of the drawers. We found a way through creativity to connect and bond. I imagine you are fully you now, and spending your days in creative abandon. I don't know what the means, but I want to believe I will see you again and we will recognize one another, one day. On your anniversary, dear Norm, thank you for bringing joy to my life. Thank you for being my friend. 

Norm was one of the greatest things to happen to me at Willowbridge and here in Kelowna. I miss his laugh dearly and know he is now resting in peace. I loved him dearly and only wished I could have said goodbye by calling him,  or walking 2 doors down to see how he was doing. We spent a lot of time together just laying in each others arms and talking. His expressions on the stories he tells is simply amazing. I MISS YOU LOVE ♡Kerri♡

We were so very sad to hear of cousin Norman's passing.  Far too young.  Our thoughts are with Aunt Lynne and family.  
- Love from Sandra & Andrew Conroy

I have known Norm for 5 years and had the honour of working closely with him while he was housed at Willowbridge. It is true what others have said; Norm smiled with his eyes and his laughter was infectious. If we had nothing new to chat about we would default to jiu-jitsu, which I started with the encouragement of Norm, and he would constantly be giving me tips to get better. Norm encouraged me to continue with classes and explained moves and drills to me that I was struggling with. He was a helper in every way and in any context. Norm, you will be very missed. 

Norm had a very positive impact on my life. Very saddened to hear this news. As a long time training partner on the mats, he shared a lot of knowledge & great perspective not only with combat sports but with life in general.

Thoughts & prayers go out to his family & loved ones🙏🏻

Norm was a great guy.   A highly skilled martial artist, that had much to teach.  And passionate about music.  As a musician and a martial artist myself, he and I had lots to connect over.   I appreciated his friendship, and time spent with him, both training, and over casual conversation. 

I am very fortunate to have had the opportunity to meet and learn from Norm.  He has taught us so much about Jujitsu and about life in general.  

Norm will be missed; rest well my friend.

I met Norm a little over 5 years ago.  Through our meeting I discovered Norm was a Brazilian Jujitsu expert.  He was a top competitor and won a good number of tournaments.  His training experiences include famous athletes like George St. Pierre and Randy Couture.

I had been looking to learn BJJ as an addition to my karate background and also to incorporate Brazilian Jujitsu in to my school.  So Norm and I spoke at length to see how we could make this work.  At that time Norm was on a recovery program and looked pretty rough and tired.  But as we continued our talk about him teaching I noticed life coming back into his eyes.  He was becoming excited.  The opportunity of being involved in martial arts again seemed to have motivated him to turn his life around.  For the next months he committed himself to getting back into shape.  As the weeks went by he became fitter and healthier.  Soon he was doing up to 1000 push up, chin ups, and squats just about every day of the week.  He was looking really good by the time we got started.

Norm was someone who would train 8 days a week, if that was possible. He loved training and didn’t care about the rank or your status.  If you want to spar he’d be there in a heartbeat.  And it wasn’t about winning or losing for him, it was more about learning from all kinds of people.

Learning from Norm was very humbling.  His power and strength were incredible.  His skills were precise and the effects from his techniques were immediate.  When Norm gets you in a submission hold you need to tap quickly (which means “I give up”).  Otherwise you’d be passed out from lack of blood flow to the head or you are in extreme pain because one of your limbs is about to break.  Neither of which is a good option.

Norm was very generous with his time and his knowledge.  Anytime you want to train and learn he would make time for you.  He wanted to give back to "his people".  Inside this big man was a bigger heart.

Norm, was a great man with many talents. He was a hulk of a man  with a with an honest and gentle demeanor. Norm was always willing to give a helping hand. Norm made a difference in this world and I will miss him greatly. LOVE YOU MAN!

When someone changes your thinking and shows you possibilities beyond your own self defined beliefs; Enjoy it. Learn from it. 

I met Norm in 2015. He came to our dojo to work with a bunch of Karate students and show the benefits and skills of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. He, in a very humble manner, showed us the basics and he continued to work with us and help us learn over the next 5 years as his health permitted.

Over the last five years, I was extremely lucky to not only learn from Norm’s instruction, but also come to know him and consider him as a friend.

Norm changed what I knew and helped make me a better martial artist and a better student. He was always willing to lend a hand, give advice or share a story. 

I’m going to miss arriving at the dojo and chatting with him every week about whatever. I am going to miss his instruction and I am going miss having him over for dinners with my family and playing guitar with him.

He has helped me to learn that we should always keep learning. We should always try and stay humble. Everyone has a story and everyone has something to teach. 

Thank you Norm my friend.


We're so sorry for the loss of Norman. Our thoughts are with you.

   Norm was such a prominent character in my high school experience. I have so many very fond memories of time spent in his company. I remember feeling so lucky to be his science lab partner.  He did all the work. I probably learned more from him than I did from the teacher that year. He was so smart. He was so creative.
 
He was a complex and gifted person. I have missed him since losing touch so many years ago...I'm so incredibly saddened to know that he is gone.




Dear family and friends of Norm,

I am deeply sorry for your loss, and for the wider community who will miss Norm's presence in many different ways. Whether in Metro Community, CMHA, McNair, Willowbridge, Kelownas Gospel Mission, or other communities where Norm invested himself, there are no doubt many people with personal stories about how Norm built into their lives.

Norm was a man who championed others, gave his time, talent, creative gifts, fell down, got back up, rallied and kept hoping for a better day. He would tell you he wasn't perfect, but that allowed him to accept the humanity of others. He was earthy, funny, and incredibly resilient for a man who carried a heavy burden in life. 

Norm loved God. He believed his life was spared multiple times for a reason. He spent his life on others in return. He had hope in God, and his faith sustained him as much as anything could.

Norm was a dear friend to me. We met through a poetry circle at Metro Community and spent a lot of time writing, reading, sharing, with a small group of other creatives. Sometimes Norm brought his guitar, and he would sing songs he had written. I was honoured to help him organize a small show of visual art for a Metro fundraiser, and he was thrilled about it. I have many memories of Norm and the ways he impacted my life. I feel his death like a vice grip around my heart…I cannot believe he is gone…and I will never forget him.

Norm, your poem "I Can" hangs in Kelowna Gospel Mission courtyard, and I remember when you wrote it. It is meaningful to me to return to it now and assure you that you are something beautiful. 

I love you, my friend,

Lesley-Anne



OBITUARY

Norman Bradley Millross

7 February, 1964 – 23 August, 2020

First Memorial Funeral Services

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