Dennis George Norrby

March 18, 1937 – May 21, 2014

Treat all thy friends and relatives, even strangers,

with a spirit of utmost love and kindliness.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá

Dennis George Norrby of Carmel Valley, passed away after suffering an aneurism in Mexico in April. Born in Bakersfield, California, Dennis was raised in Kingsburg, California, attended UC Berkeley and graduated from UCSF as a Doctor of Pharmacy in 1960.

Dennis married Diane Hamilton in 1962 in Palo Alto, California. Dennis and Diane have lived on the Monterey Peninsula for 54 years, settling in Carmel Valley in 1970, where they raised their children, Daneen and Eric, and welcomed their son-in-law, Ken, into their hearts.

Dennis was distinguished and honored for his work many times in his life, including by the State Board of Pharmacy for 50 years of service for his important role in providing health care and caring for patients over his career. Dennis spent his life helping others; a passion that began at Carmel Drug, and continued at CHOMP for 22 years, then on to Natividad, Hazel Hawkins, and Safeway Mid-Valley Pharmacy. His greatest pleasure was talking to people, helping them figure out what they needed, and making sure they left with one of his smiles.

Dennis took delight in helping anyone, whether he knew them or not. A stranger to Dennis was simply a friend that he had yet to meet. Dennis will be missed by his family and everyone who knew him.

Dennis was a reader, a writer, and a teller of stories and jokes. No one laughed louder at his jokes than he, especially when he fudged a punchline. He loved stories, telling them and hearing them. He infamously made up a story about Jake the fish, the oldest biggest fish in the lake, which sent kids scrambling out into the water in search of the elusive giant, time and time again.

Dennis was an inventor and tinkerer; if he didn’t have it, he would make it. His family watched in horror as he “sailed” at Lake Angora in a boat of his making, from a rubber raft with a sail made from garbage bags, utilizing his exceptional duct tape skills. Fortunately, he eventually got a real sailboat and relished his time on the lake in more safety and style.

Dennis passed away after an intense and difficult recovery from an aneurism. He constantly amazed his doctors, family, and friends with his resiliency and determination. That his body was weaker than his spirit came as a shock, but not a surprise. He is survived by his wife and best friend, Diane, his children Daneen and Eric, son-in-law Ken, and his brother Donald and Don’s wife Carolyn.

A private burial was held on May 29. A memorial to honor his life will be held on Friday, June 13, 2014, at 2:00 pm at Hidden Valley in Carmel Valley Village. Friday the 13th held a special place in Dennis’s heart; as he and Diane were married on Friday the 13th, 1962.

Because Dennis deeply believed that until women and girls were afforded equal education and opportunities, the potential of all humankind will remain unrealized, donations in Dennis’s honor can be made to Girls Inc. of the Central Coast (318 Cayuga St, Suite 209, Salinas, CA 93901, or http://www.girlsinccc.org/support/donations.html).