Douglas J. Norris

A visitation will be held from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm on Friday, April 12, 2024 at the Runge Mortuary in Davenport, Iowa. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the family. A Celebration of a Well Lived Life will take place on May 26, 2024, and details will be forthcoming.

Doug was born in Davenport, Iowa on February 6, 1970, to Melvin and Carole (Chrysler) Norris. A bouncing healthy baby boy, he was the youngest of 3 siblings. From a young age, Doug was known to “raise a little hell” from time to time (or more). In his adult life, he became exceptionally skilled in his trade, and worked at Cobham Missions Systems in Davenport from 1998 to 2018.

If you had met Doug even once, you instantly knew that he loved music and all things that went with it. Once he picked up his first bass guitar, he didn’t put it down until Parkinson’s left him with no other choice. Regardless, Doug continued to support live music whenever and wherever he could, continuing to “raise a little hell” and always in a pair of shorts, no matter the weather. Doug was an integral part of several local bands over the decades, including Leftwich, Rust, Sugar Nipples, Naughty-Naughty, Bad Hair and The King’s Kiss (yes, *that* band with the make-up), just to name a few. The local music community deeply mourns the loss of Doug not just as a great musician, but also as a true friend, and they will continue to raise a little hell in his honor.

In 2005, after coming off the stage with King’s Kiss as the headliners at Sturgis On The River, and while still in his Gene Sikkens make up and high heels, Doug was “officially” introduced to the woman who would become the love of his life, and later his wife, Mary Gaylord. After a long courtship, they were united in marriage by a Gene Simmons impersonator, at the KISS Chapel in Las Vegas, Nevada on May 25, 2013. In typical Doug style, he also donned his version of Gene for the ceremony, to everyone’s delight. Mary wishes to thank everyone who has reached out with a kind word, thought, or tribute for Doug and is forever grateful for the immense amount of love shown. She will forever be eternally grateful for his love and the (almost) 20 years of pure joy he brought to her life.

Those left to cherish and honor his memory include his wonderful wife and caretaker until the very end, Mary Norris, his wonderful sister, Betsy (Norris) Timmerman (Mike); his loving brother, Dean (Dixie) Norris, his very special and much loved nieces, Carolyn (Kennedie) and Samantha (Adel Olapade), together with his great nieces and nephews, Kyleigha, Paris, Legend, Myles, Evelyn and Kenlynn. Always the animal lover, Doug also leaves behind his fur babies, Ace, Dexter and Princess, and his scaley bestie bearded dragon, Geezer; as well as a treasure trove of friends who loved him fiercely. He is preceded in death by his parents and a great nephew, Zurick.

Although Doug’s physical vessel has left this world, we will all continue to remember him with the best (albeit sometimes “foggy”) memories. While his much too soon departure comes as a deep wound, gravely felt by all who knew and loved him, we know that he remains with us -be it in a smile, laugh, “tongue” pic, dumb joke or prank. Let the memory of his love, friendship, and most importantly his amazing courage, guide all of us on how to live life to the fullest, and to fight every battle, no matter how big or small, with determination, dignity and laughter.