Richard A. Norris

Richard A. Norris, 62, of Monroeville, Indiana passed away Friday morning, February 15, 2019 at his residence following an a period of declining health since late 2017.

He was born on March 9, 1956 in Pontiac, Michigan to Harold Norris, who preceded him in death on September 9, 2015, & Delight (Wagner) Norris, who preceded him in death on February 20, 2016. Rick was united in marriage to Shawn Hoffman on July 28, 2000 at the Antioch Lutheran Church in Hoagland, Indiana.

Rick was a member of the Monroeville United Methodist Church, the Monroeville Chamber of Commerce, and the American Legion Post #420 in Monroeville.

He was an engineer and metallurgist in the foundry / molten metal industry. He had been employed by various foundries in the states of Indiana, Wisconsin, and New York, including Ward Aluminum in Fort Wayne.

Rick was a veteran of the United States Air Force, being honorably discharged in 1975 at the conclusion of the Vietnam War.

Rick enjoyed helping his dad restore and work on many classic cars and trucks including a 1929 Model A. He and Shawn loved attending car shows. Before his health problems, he was very involved the sporting and school events of his children and grandchildren. He was a former junior high wrestling coach; which happened to coincide with his son’s wrestling career also. As his daughter Amber played softball, Rick also helped in coaching those teams as well.

Rick came from a military family. He traveled the world with his parents while his dad was in the United States Air Force. He attended 20 different schools before graduating from East Noble. He often spoke of his time in Okinawa from 1964 – 1966. While there, he and his friends loved to explore the island, which led to adventures such as finding live bombs. The bomb squad on the island knew him by name. He also would scale the cliffs and found skeletons and guns in a cave / machine gun nest.

After settling back in the States, he started racing go-carts, which became a family affair. He loved his time at the races with his parents, aunts, uncles, and cousins.

Golf was an important part of his life for many years. Many days he would hit over 100 golf balls in the morning before going to work. His parents and son also played, and he loved time spent on the courses with them and his daughter and son-in-law. One of his dreams was to walk the Augusta National Golf Club.

He is survived by his wife, Shawn Norris of Monroeville; four daughters, Amber (Matt) Palmer of Wolcottville, Angela (Andrew) Giese of Redmond, WA, Tara Scheumann of Fort Wayne, & Shannon Scheumann of Beaverton, OR; son, Cameron (Melissa) Norris of Fort Wayne; & five grandchildren, Saige Norris, Eden Norris, Maya Norris, Rowyn Norris, & Aidan Palmer.

In keeping with Rick’s wishes, his body was cremated and private services will be held at a later date.

Preferred memorials are to Monroeville United Methodist Church; Visiting Nurse and Hospice Home in Fort Wayne; or Wreaths Across America. Please mail memorials to Zwick & Jahn Funeral Home- 520 N. 2 ^Nd . St. Decatur, IN 46733.