Arlie Ruth Norris

The Iron-Winged Matriarch of the Midwestern Skies

Born: April 27, 1942 – Ascended: August 11, 2025

In the early hours of August 11th, 2025, the realm lost a force of nature. Arlie Ruth

(Cassel) Norris, born at 7:52 p.m. on April 27th, 1942 in the southern mists of Mobile,

Alabama, took her final, peaceful flight at 11:24 a.m. from Century Villa Healthcare in

Greentown, Indiana, surrounded by kin. Her wings may now be at rest, but her fire will

never be extinguished. Arlie was no ordinary dragon of the realm. She was forged in

iron and edged in wit — a no-nonsense sentinel who brooked no foolishness and

made no room for small talk. If you entered her lair without purpose, you were swiftly

met with her famous, growled battle cry: “Get the hell out.” But beneath the armor lay

a mind of vast depth. A devourer of books, a conjurer of art, a mistress of many trades

— Arlie could stitch a wound, fix a machine, and school a fool in equal measure. Her

talents were as diverse as her moods, and her moods were legendary. Her rule was

firm, her gaze sharp, and her goodbye — a shoo of the hand and a curt “Buh-bye” —

final and binding. Yet, for all her edges, Arlie was fiercely loyal to her clutch. She

guarded her lineage with the passion of a firestorm and loved with a depth only those

close to her ever truly knew. She is survived by a mighty lineage: several siblings, five

children, and a legion of grandchildren and great-grandchildren — each one bearing a

spark of her flame. She was preceded in the great beyond by a few treasured siblings,

a daughter, and her heart’s eternal companion, Jim Worthy, the dragon who matched

her fire. The skies will feel emptier now. The wind a bit quieter. The hearth a little

colder. But her spirit — sharp-tongued, flame-hearted, endlessly curious — will echo

through generations. Let it be known: the matriarch has flown. The Iron-Winged One

has returned to the stars. And may the ancestors be warned — she’s coming in hot. In

accordance with her final wishes, there will be no formal funeral. The family will gather

at a later time for a private celebration of life to honor Arlie’s legacy — a gathering of

dragons, sharing firelight, laughter, and the stories of a legend.