John was the quintessential Renaissance Man: a man who excelled at any art or craft he chose, an individual armed with numerous skills and interests. This allowed him to amass a variety of both passions and friends. Whether it was his work with stained glass at AGA, busking with his guitar at Mid City Mall, cooking at Lentinis or crafting original cocktails at Lilly's - John would commit himself to the craft and dedication required. Along the way, John would gain friends that were equally diverse and dedicated to his happiness and well being. Many of these friends were lucky enough to consider John family.
He was witty and hilarious in a way that defied description. Ask anyone who met him, and they will tell you about a time that John had them laughing to tears.
He was as hardworking as he was fun to work with. In his short life, he spent time working at Keith’s Hardware, Lilly’s Bistro, AGA (Architectural Glass Art), and Lentini's Little Italy.
Perhaps most importantly, John was one of the most kind, humble, and generous people that one could ever hope to know. He will be missed beyond measure.
He is survived by his sister Rachel Norman (Edward), brother Neil Norman (Heather), nephews William McKnight and Jacob Renzi, nieces Teya Chudha and Rebecca Ensminger, stepmom Rebecca Renzi, his lifelong friends who were like brothers to him, Benjamin Cobbs (Christine), Donald Palmquist (Stephanie), and William Brown (Daneen), his friend’s children who knew him as “Uncle John” (Evalina, Fiona, Silas, Oliver), in-laws whose love for John was as true as blood (Kemp, Cousens, and Vanmeter families), as well as many more aunts, uncles, cousins and family too numerous to list (Byers, Stevenson, Minshall, and Bartlett families to name just a few). He was preceded in death by his father and mother William and Linda Norman, Grandparents Walter and Roberta “Keenie” Norman, and Jim and Frieda Bartlett, and a stepsister Sharon Renzi.
Please join us for visitation on Sunday November 28th 1pm-5pm, or his memorial on Monday November 29th 10am at Arch L. Heady Cralle Funeral Home 2428 Frankfort Ave. 40206. Please know that if you cannot make it, we plan to have more celebrations of John’s life to come. We will never stop finding ways to keep his memory alive. If you knew John, you probably loved him too. Thank you.
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