Norris, Ralph L. – 1927-2010

CANFIELD, DEVAULT, FIFER, GIRDNER, ISKE, MCCOLE, MERICAL, MEYER, MOSS, NORRIS, STRAUB, VAN GORP, VASSEAU, WEISBROD

Posted By: JCGS Volunteer
Date: 6/14/2010 at 14:32:51

Ralph L. Norris, 83, of Newton, formerly of Rock Creek, died Tuesday, June 8, 2010, in Newton.
A funeral service will be on Saturday, June 12, at the First Baptist Church, 620 S. Eighth Ave. E. in Newton. A lunch will be at noon with the funeral service at 2 p.m. The family will greet friends from 6 to 8 p.m. today, June 11, at the Wallace Family Funeral Home in Newton. Memorials to the First Baptist Church or the Jasper County Museum may be left at the funeral home or at the church on the day of the service.
Ralph L. Norris was born January 5, 1927, in Modena, Mo., to Charles Elza and Lula Mae (Canfield) Norris. He graduated from Princeton High School in Princeton, Mo., in 1945. He was united in marriage with Twylia Faye Moss on May 4, 1946, in Trey, Kan. He worked as a research technician for the Maytag Company for 44-plus years, retiring in 1992 as the supervisor of product development.
He had been a member of the First Baptist Church since 1956, where he had served as a trustee and had been on many boards. He was a 50-year member of the Newton Lodge #59 AF & AM. He served as worshipful master of Meridian Lodge #280 in Kellogg in 1973. He was a 50-year member of Newton Chapter #100 Order of the Eastern Star and was also a member of the Maytag Management Club and the Newton Rotary. He had built a display cabinet for City Hall and had built many display cabinets and other pieces for the Jasper County Museum.
Ralph enjoyed woodworking and had built many pieces of furniture for his family and friends. He also enjoyed metalworking, hunting, fishing, traveling and had canoed the Boundary Waters. He also was a history buff.
Survivors include his wife, Twylia Norris of Newton; two daughters, Ellen (Darrell) DeVault of Waterloo, Ill., and Kathy (Doug) Fifer of Newton; a son, Les (Carol) Norris of Guttenberg, Iowa; nine grandchildren, Amy Straub, Sarah (Dale) Meyer, Wendy DeVault, Joy (Mike) McCole, Sheri Norris, Lisa (Chris) Van Gorp, Michael (Marsha) Norris, Matthew (Tanya) Fifer and Becky (Mike) Iske; many nieces and nephews; and 21 great-grandchildren, including Stephanie, Andrew and Michael Straub; Sean and Macey Meyer; Emily, Keven and Isabelle McCole; Gregory Vasseau and Genesee Merical; Max, Wyatt, Rory and Ben Van Gorp; Christian and Stephanie Norris; Sheridan, Joshua, Caleb and Katie Joy Fifer; and Madeline Iske.
He was preceded in death by his parents; his brothers, Tom, George, Frank, Fred, Arthur, Robert and his twin, Raymond; and his sisters, Alice Norris Weisbrod and Lenora Norris Girdner
Source: Newton Daily News; Friday, June 11, 2010