James E. "Ed" Norris

Ed was born in Springfield, on May 10, 1933, the second of six children of Edward M. and Marguerite M. (Miner) Norris.

He attended Sts. Peter and Paul Grade School and Cathedral Boys High School. Through no fault of his own, both schools, his childhood home on Franklin Ave, and his first apartment on 7th Street were torn down. He often remarked that all of his childhood haunts had become parking lots. Ed graduated high school in 1951 and used that year as his code for his garage door remote, answering machine, computer, ATM card, and iPad.

After graduation, Ed went to work for Western Electric — the company that installed and managed the wiring for all the telephone offices. He took a sabbatical in 1952 to join the Air Force, working in intelligence in Japan during the Korean War. While there, he noticed an anomalous buildup on a North Korean base. He notified his commanding officer, but his concerns were dismissed. Ed was persistent. His superiors finally investigated and found that the North Koreans were in fact massing for an attack on South Korea. Steps were taken and the crisis was averted. Ed was awarded a medal for his efforts. This incident only recently came to light, as Ed was always very reticent to reveal details about his service. He would simply state that his service was classified, and the discussion would end.

Ed returned to Western Electric, after leaving the Air Force. He bought a now-classic 1957 Chevy and a boat to take on Lake Springfield. He enjoyed being a bachelor, but knew he wanted more.

Ed started dating Rita Cadagin in 1958 and soon realized that she was the one for him. Unfortunately, Rita’s doctors had told her that she would likely never have children. Ed desperately wanted a family and didn’t know what to do. He went to church every day after work and prayed for an answer. He decided that his love for Rita was stronger than his worries that he might never have children.

Ed and Rita were married in May 1959 at St. Pat’s. They then had one child a year for the next five years, including one set of Irish twins. They took an extended break, then had three more kids.

Ed told his kids that he could do anything. He never backed away from a challenge. He installed a concrete floor in his parents’ basement and later added a bathroom to his first home. Rita had heard him say that he could do anything, but when he took a power saw to the pantry wall, she was more than a little apprehensive. She needn’t have worried though — Ed really could do anything. He built a mid-century, modern fireplace from scratch, armed with a book he picked up at the library. It took a few tries to get the firebox just right, so that the smoke went up the chimney instead of flowing through the family room, but Ed was persistent. That fireplace brightened many evenings and warmed a lot of hearts.

Ed also liked to collect odd nuts, bolts, and hardware. One Christmas, he wore a hardware necklace to Midnight Mass. Rita moved between being mortified and amused. He also made an abstract eagle for the top of the flagpole he built and erected in celebration of the first lunar landing.

Travel was also important to Ed, but there wasn’t the money to stay in hotels with so many kids. Ed and Rita took the family on a tent-camping trip to Myrtle Beach, SC, where it rained nonstop for days. At one point, there were a few inches of water inside the tent. Rita announced that she was never camping again. Undeterred, they bought a used 23-foot travel trailer. Ed built some extra bunk beds to accommodate all the kids and led the family on trips all across the country, stopping at every historical marker. While driving, he would often provide a natural history narrative of the region. Not all of the kids were as enthused about the geological formations as he was. Ed often told the story of the time he was deep in an explanation about glaciation, when his son Steve interrupted with the question, “Do cows have white tongues?” Ed stopped talking, while Rita laughed quietly.

Although Western Electric took him to Elk Grove Village, Edwardsville, and other parts of the state, his home was always in Springfield. He and Rita moved back to the capital city after a 17-year hiatus and bought their dream home near Washington Park. Ed retired a couple of years later at age 56, but was never one who could sit still for long. He aced astronomy, photography, and painting classes at UIS, and also took ballroom, swing, and tango classes with Rita. He was a long-time docent at the Dana Thomas House, and was proud to have assisted a doctoral student on her dissertation about Frank Lloyd Wright. Ed served as an interpretive guide at Lincoln Memorial Garden, leading school groups and introducing children to the garden’s plants and animals. He was a long-term participant in the Mature Mob shows as a dancer, singer, emcee, and script writer. Ed was also active in the St. Agnes choir for many years. He had a beautiful voice and used to sing to Rita, “You must have been a beautiful baby, ‘cause baby look at you now!”

Rita and Ed joyously celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary this past May. Rita died a couple of months later. She was the love of his life and he missed her dearly. The memories of them both are a blessing.

Ed was also preceded in death by his siblings, Patty, Tom, and Will Norris; and his nephews, Rick and John Cadagin.

Ed is survived by their eight children, Jim (Eileen) Norris of Springfield, Karen (Mark) Gerdes of Springfield, Mike Norris of Bailey, CO, Patrick Norris of Aliso Viejo, CA, Steve Norris of San Clemente, CA, Jason (Jenny) Norris of Springfield, Jeremy (Julie) Norris of Reelsville, IN, and Anne (Brad) Bell of Pawnee. He is survived by his brothers, John Norris and Chuck (Sharon) Norris; sisters-in-law, Sharon Norris, Patricia “Pat” Snodgrass, Kathy Cadagin, Patricia Cadagin, and Peggy Cadagin; twenty-two grandchildren; ten great-grandchildren and one on the way; and many beloved nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.

Visitation: The family will receive relatives and friends from 4:00 – 7:00 p.m. on Sunday, February 2, 2025, at Butler Funeral Home - Springfield, 900 S. Sixth St., Springfield. Visitation will begin with a prayer service at 4:00 p.m.

Mass of Christian Burial: 10:30 a.m. on Monday, February 3, 2025, at St. Agnes Catholic Church, 245 N. Amos Ave., Springfield, with Rev. Zachary Samples officiating. Burial will follow at Calvary Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Sacred Heart Convent Retirement Fund or Inner City Mission.