Normand W. "Norm" Green

HENDERSONVILLE-Normand (Norm) W. Green of Somersby Park, Hendersonville, North Carolina, passed away while undergoing open heart surgery on Friday, May 8, 2015, at the age of 85.
He was born to Helen and Errett Worcester Green in July 31, 1929, in the suburbs of Chicago. As a teenager, he worked for the National Park Service in Glacier Park, Montana, including at a fire look-out. He earned a bachelor's degree in Education from the University of Idaho in 1951, which he attended as a part of the Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC). During college, he deepened his love for the landscapes of the great American West by leading train tours through the national parks. He was a member of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity and the Blue Key honor society. He then went on to earn a master's degree in Speech and Drama from the Miami University of Ohio in 1952.
He started his professional career in academia, working as a teaching assistant at Denison University in Ohio, where he helped establish the Summer Theater Program On the Green, as well as the college radio station. He transitioned to the corporate world in 1955, when he joined Owens Corning Corporation. He first worked in the technical lab in Granville, Ohio, and then was transitioned to the Personnel Relations Department in Toledo, Ohio. In 1974, he was appointed Manager, Human Resources.
In 1975, he was recruited from Owens Corning by the chairman of Nabisco Corporation to take on the role of Director, Management Personnel Planning, in New Jersey. He was later promoted to Vice President and served as an officer of the company. In 1986, he left Nabisco to join the executive search firm, Boyden International, as a Vice President. He retired in 1994.
Over the course of his career, Norm was dedicated to developing best practices in his field. He helped conceive and founded the national organization, Human Resources Planning Society, where he served as the first president.
He shared a passion with his family for the water and boating, which inspired him to purchase a home in the Thousand Islands region of the St. Lawrence River in Ontario, Canada, in 1985. After retirement, he split his time between first Beaufort, South Carolina, and then Hendersonville, North Carolina, as well as the Thousand Islands. For most of his life, he continued to fulfill his love of the mountains as an avid skier, having first hit the slopes at the age of five. He also loved carpentry and woodworking.
He is survived by: his wife of 48 years, Suzanne Green, of Hendersonville, North Carolina; two daughters, Anne Green of New York City, and Deborah Green Balzarini of Lancaster, PA; three grandchildren, John E. Balzarini of Philadelphia, PA, Kathryn Balzarini Balliet and her husband, Phillip, of Alexandria, VA, and William Balzarini of Philadelphia, PA; and one great grandchild, Sydney Balliet of Alexandria, VA. He was preceded in death by his son, Geoffrey Green, and by his two brothers, William Green and Richard Green, both of the Chicago area.
A Memorial Service will be held at 11:00 AM on Saturday, May 23, 2015 at Shepherd's Church Street Chapel at 125 South Church Street in Hendersonville, NC. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Blue Ridge Humane Society by calling 828-692-2639 or by mailing a check to 1214 Greenville Highway, Hendersonville, NC 28792. Please mark your donation as "In the Memory of Norm Green."
An online register book is available for family and friends by visiting www.thosshepherd.com. Thos. Shepherd & Son Funeral Directors and Cremation Memorial Center are in charge of arrangements.