Norris Lischer

     Norris Charles Lischer passed peacefully while at home with his family on March 9, 2017 after a long illness. Norris was born on April 28, 1947 in Belleville, Illinois to Robert and Marjorie Lischer.      Funeral services will be at 2 p.m. Saturday, March 11 at Scanio Harper Funeral Home in Temple preceded by a visitation and viewing at 1 p.m. Burial will follow at Bellwood Memorial Park.      Due to his father’s military career, Norris and his sister Diane grew up moving from place to place. Home was New Athens, Illinois where his grandparents lived, but he spent time in Germany, California, and Colorado before making his way to Texas. His teen years were spent at Camp Bullis in San Antonio where he learned to hunt deer, which became a lifelong passion. He met and married Carol Baylor and soon moved to Temple to run a gas station for Fisca Oil Company. Together, they had three children: Kimberly Kay, Mark Allen, and Keith Charles. Norris began fixing cars as a hobby while working at the station, especially Volkswagens, and after 10 years decided to go into business for himself. In November 1975, Norris built the first of three “Lischer’s Auto Service” buildings at 13th and Adams in Temple. In 1983, he built a bigger shop across the street from the original and ended up at 25th and Avenue C where he maintained the “cleanest shop in town.” He had a loyal following of customers in addition to the guys that just hung out there to drink coffee and shoot the bull or get the occasional hug when they needed one. He had a unique ability to make everyone feel special and welcome in his space.      In 1984, Norris married Karen Severson and together they made a beautiful home where her children, Clayton Lee Miller and Marisa Brooke Miller lived together with them and his son, Keith.      Norris was a bit of a free spirit who loved daring adventures and challenges. As a boy in San Antonio, he loved going as fast as he could down hills on his bicycle and then his Cushman scooter. As he got older, he loved competitive hill climbing on motorcycles. He later built and raced many dune buggies; both circle track and off-road. He was an avid water skier and snow skier. He was not one for obeying the rules (they didn’t apply to him) and friends and family joked about there being “Lischer’s rules” and “Lischer’s lane” on the highway. Norris loved to hunt deer and was proficient with a gun or a bow and arrow. He also enjoyed hog hunting in south Texas with his kids and grandsons, Mark and Khristopher. The annual hog hunting and fishing trips with his buddies were some of his favorite pastimes as he got older. Norris retired in 2009 and kept busy fixing anything he could find around the house, visiting with friends, and spending time with his family.      Norris was known as Papaw to eleven grandchildren and they all loved coming Papaw’s house. He loved them well and provided everything from 4-wheelers to tree houses, zip line, and a custom-made swing set for them to enjoy. Papaw’s shed was always a favorite spot for them, where they would play in his fishing boat, film their movies, fix things with Papaw’s tools, and ride around on anything with wheels. Norris was preceded in death by his son, Mark Allen Lischer, his daughter Kimberly Kay Lischer, his father, Robert Lischer, and his mother Marjorie Lischer.      Norris is survived by his wife, Karen of Temple, children; Keith Charles Lischer of Temple, Clayton Lee Miller and wife Monique of New Braunfels, and Marisa Brooke Cockrell and husband, Paul of Richmond, TX. He is also survived by a sister, Diane Smith and husband Robert of Ballwin, MO, eleven grandchildren, and numerous cousins, nieces, and nephews.      Memorials may be made in Norris Lischer’s name to the Vasicek Cancer Center at Scott and White Hospital, 2401 S. 31st Street, Temple, Texas 76508.