Janet Gail Norris' Obituary
When Janet Norris first read the classic book “The Little Prince,” it struck something inside her. The classic tale of looking with your heart instead of your eyes became a touchstone for her, a book she would recommend to just about anyone she ever met. In fact, she drew her favorite quote from the book: “It is only with the heart that one can see rightly. What is essential is invisible to the eye.”Ms. Norris, who saw with her heart at least as much as she did with her eyes, passed away Sunday morning, September 2, 2018 after a short battle with cancer. She was 75.A lifelong Memphian, Ms. Norris graduated from Central High School and attended Memphis State University. She began her working life at Southern Greeting Card but soon moved to Sears, where she spent 13 years after originally being hired as a seasonal worker. After leaving Sears, Ms. Norris worked at Memphis Communications Corporation for 18 years before her retirement in August.No matter where her career took her, though, Ms. Norris was devoted to her two sons, Johnny and Dave Norris. A former soccer referee and longtime director of the Tennessee State Soccer Association’s Western District, Ms. Norris helped instill the love of soccer that would earn each son a scholarship to play at Memphis State. “I used to joke that I turned pro at age 5,” Johnny Norris said, “because she used to pay us a nickel for each touch of the ball when we juggled.”When her sons performed in the long-running Memphis band crash into june, Ms. Norris could almost always be seen in the crowd, and never mind the fact that she was twice as old as most of those in attendance. She enjoyed the music her sons made, music she often heard from the earliest notes to the finished compositions. “She was even at our practices. When we were writing and rehearsing new songs, she would always be listening in the other room and telling us, ‘Yeah, I really like that one’ or “Not so much’ on another one,” said Dave Norris, who used to ask his mom for advice on lyrics. “And having her at our shows, that meant everything to us. She was always so supportive of everything we did as a band.”Ms. Norris leaves behind her son, Johnny Norris, his wife Kimberly and their two sons, Spencer and Preston; another son, Dave Norris, his wife Jennifer and their daughter, Madeline Grace; a niece, Debbie Sims (husband Richard); and a nephew, David Nicholson (wife Vicki).A memorial service for Ms. Norris will be held at 1:00 p.m. Saturday at Grace St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, 1720 Peabody Ave.Any donations in Ms. Norris’ memory should be directed to Courage Thru Cancer, whose 2018 celebration benefits St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Information on how to donate can be found on the organization’s website at couragethrucancer.com.
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