Norbert Michael Puff

Born in Los Angeles on September 22, 1944, Norbert spent the whole of his life rooted in Southern California. He was a graduate of Loyola High School in Los Angeles and went on to earn both his Bachelor's and master's degrees in economics from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Norbert devoted three decades to public service, first as an economist and demographer with the Ventura County Planning Department, where he specialized in long-range demographic forecasting, and later as a Principal Program Analyst for the Orange County Chief Administrative Office, focusing on long-range capital facilities planning.

Beyond his professional life, Norbert was a man of genuine passions. Sailing was perhaps the deepest of them. He owned a 26-foot sailboat and spent years on the water out of Ventura Harbor—if the wind was up, so was he, whatever the conditions. He was an avid tennis player and devoted viewer of the game at every level, a runner who often hit the roads with his Alaskan Husky, Kato, and a skier who frequented the slopes at Mountain High in Wrightwood. He was married to Marie Gilliam in 1976 and later divorced in 1984.

His intellectual curiosity extended well beyond his career. He developed and received patents in both the United States and Japan for a "talking watch" concept featuring the voices of well-known characters—an invention that, while it never reached the market, spoke to his creativity and persistence in equal measure.

Those who knew Norbert remembered him as fiercely independent, sharply opinionated, and precise in both thought and word. He lived deliberately, on his own terms, and left a distinct impression on everyone he encountered.

In 2025, Norbert was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. In his final months, he entered hospice care and remained at home as he had wished. His comfort and dignity were lovingly tended to by his long-time friend and executor, Bob Wilson, and his second cousin, Mia Borja. He found solace in life's familiar pleasures—favorite meals from Trader Joe's and In-N-Out, and evenings watching tennis and reruns of Cheers on television.

Norbert had no children. He is survived by his goddaughter, Tina Sullivan, and his second cousin, Mia Borja.

In his final years, Norbert devoted himself to the care of his mother, tending to her with quiet dedication until her passing in 2005.

Norbert will be laid to rest alongside his parents, Norbert Aloysious Puff, who passed in 1959, and Elsa Maria Urrea Puff, who passed in 2005, overlooking the peaceful Pacific Ocean in Corona del Mar, California.

He lived as he chose—with independence, conviction, and quiet persistence. Those who knew him will not soon forget him.