William Bradford Norris

Died January 29, 2006

TORCH LAKE - On Sunday, Jan. 29, at the Cleveland Clinic, beloved husband of 35 years, brother, father, uncle, grandfather and friend to so many, Brad Norris succumbed, at age 80, to the ravages of cancer after a short illness.

Born on July 1, 1925, to Earl C. and Carol G. Norris, Brad's early years were spent on Long Island, N.Y. As a young man, he attended Culver Military Academy and the University of Maryland.

At the outbreak of World War II, Brad volunteered for military service and was sent to Officer Candidate School at Fort Benning. Upon graduation, as a second lieutenant, he was shipped to the European theater as a platoon leader. He was the youngest man in the company. Fighting in northeastern France, Brad was severely wounded on Oct. 21, 1944.

After recovery and honorable discharge with significant decorations, he returned to the University of Maryland, where he formed and toured a three-piece combo, sax, piano, and his instrument, trombone. This helped with expenses while he earned his baccalaureate degree. Ultimately he graduated from Columbia Law School.

Brad married his first wife, Cleveland's Lois Hart. He moved to Cleveland and began his professional life with the Hahn Loeser & Parks firm of attorneys. Privately, Brad worked to promote humanitarian causes. He marched with Martin Luther King in Selma, Ala.

Brad married Elizabeth in 1970. Together, their achievements were many. Independent of their professional lives, Brad, Elizabeth and teams of volunteers helped to found the public radio station WCPN, got the public rapid transit system working and prevented the destructive routing of a freeway through the scenic and historically valuable Shaker Heights section.

At one juncture, Brad was asked to take the position of vice president and general counsel of one of the law firm's clients, the Carling Brewing Company, a post he held for 15 years. When the company moved to Boston, Brad returned to Hahn Loeser & Parks.

Brad retired from his legal career in 1985 and moved to northwestern Michigan, to the very spot where his father and grandfather had built their home on the south shore of Torch Lake nearly a century ago. There, he undertook a full new palette of actions for the public good. He and Elizabeth were tireless supporters and volunteer workers for the lake associations, preventing or curtailing environmentally destructive practices. They were also the spearheads and spark plugs for the creation of the Rapid City Recreational and Athletic Complex.

Brad has left a bounty of faith and good fortune to those who will miss him the most, his wife, Elizabeth; children, Todd (Mindy), Betsie, Bob (Paula), and stepchildren, Jack (Carol) Dodds, Carolyn (Ric Giorgi) Dodds and Pamela Dodds; brother, Jack; nieces, Tina (Larry) Fields and Becky Norris; and grandchildren, Portia, Daniel, Nicholas, Juliana, Eliott and Ella.

All who knew him are invited to a celebration of Brad's life Sunday, Feb. 5, 2006, at 3 p.m., at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Grand Traverse, 6726 Center Road, Traverse City, MI, and at the First Unitarian Church of Cleveland on a date to be announced.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Three Lakes Association, PO Box 689, Bellaire, MI 49615; the Torch Lake Protection Alliance, PO Box 706, Bellaire, MI 49615 or the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Grand Traverse.

This obituary was originally published in the Record-Eagle.