Robert Bonner Norcross

Robert Bonner Norcross died December 27, 2023, stolen by Early Onset Alzheimer's at 62.

But Rob lives in the wind in the trees, in the ripples in the water, in the flap of wings, in the flash of a white tail in the woods at Hatchie Coon, and in the hearts of his hunting and fishing friends there, and in the deep brown and now sad eyes of a beloved Labrador, Shug.

He lives in the unlikely combination of homemade gumbo and a Manhattan. He lives in the unlikely combination of a tiny town and a big city, as comfortable with his hand in rich earth as his hand in the realized vision for the transformation of a cityscape.

As much as anyone in Memphis history, he lives in our built places, where we live and work, where we play.

He lives in the memory of a man who barely looked old enough to drink that Manhattan or legally buy a beer. When he talked about what he'd done, he had that sparkle in his eye and that gee whiz tone in his voice that young people have – anything is possible, everything is an adventure.

He had that to almost to the very end, and Alzheimer's can't steal the memory of that sparkle, of that gee whiz in the promise of every day.

Rob leaves his wife of 37 years, Jill, and their children, Phoebe and Brandt Norcross. And Shug. He is predeceased by his father, Bob, and Bob's two brothers, Rick and Bill Norcross as well as his uncle Bill Prest. He is survived by his mother, Ginger Norcross, his sister, Helene Norcross Rayder, brothers, Jon Norcross (Scott Paterek) and Michael Norcross (Mira), his aunts, Barbara Prest, Jeanie Norcross, and Julie Norcross, his first cousins, Herrick Norcross (Lucy), Gary Norcross (Amy), Jenne Williams (Tom), Bill Prest (Jennifer), Tommy Prest (Shelly), Christopher Prest (Jessica), Amanda Norcross Brody (Stu), Matt Norcross (Jessilyn), three nieces, four nephews, brothers from another mother, Mike Sullivan, Pierre Landaiche, and Scott Van Der Jagt.

He started on a big cotton, rice, and bean farm in Tyronza, Arkansas – a wide spot in the road not far from Memphis, and Rob is never far from there. His past is part of his present, his family – past and present – integral. His respect for land and its use came from there. His fascination for form and structure came from there, too, roaming among the bones of old farm buildings and foundations. And there he learned that things don't move until people pull together.

He was a proud graduate of Marked Tree High School and the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design (formerly the University of Arkansas School of Architecture). He made friends for life there, in the School, in his fraternity, Phi Delta Theta, and he met Jill in his final year.

Three years later at their rehearsal dinner, Jill rose and raised her glass for a fun toast, "May he serve me well," she laughed.

And so he did. And his kids, and his family, and his friends, and his church, and his profession. And his city.

Rob was an architect's architect, licensed in seven states. You may not think you knew him, but you did. And you liked him.

The next time you walk the broad and shady concourse on a hot day in AutoZone Park, or spill a beer at the crack of a bat or the joy of a goal, raise that beer to Rob. The next time you see Grizzlies growl at FedExForum, or Tigers roar, or the entire building rock at a concert, wave a towel or tip your hat or dance in the aisle for Rob.

He was the architect for, hands down, the most acclaimed minor league ballpark in the country, and for the commodious and boisterous home of first grit and grind and now Penny and Ja – places where we get together and come together to cheer.

And if you ask Rob about either of them, he'll just smile and say something that defines him as much as the landmarks he's designed, as much as the big ideas he's had.

"I was part of a team," he'd say.

And he's right. He was a principal in Looney Ricks Kiss, and for the last three decades he was a principal player in the firm's unquestioned influence on this city's built environment. In Rob's estimation, the credit for all of that is shared, all the accolades and awards are shared, all the ups and downs, all the all-nighters, all the elation and rejection – all shared.

That kind of recognition of others and that kind of humility in someone so creative is to his credit and his colleagues' benefit.

To our benefit as a city.

As South City continues to transform one end of downtown and St. Jude the other, as Soulsville grows, know that Rob had a hand in that. When you have a drink in Eight & Sand or dinner in Bishop, or anything in the Memphis-centric, reimagined Central Station Hotel, he had a hand in that, too. And in the Memphis-Shelby County Land Use Control Board, the Memphis Landmarks Commission, many of the homes in Harbor Town, and in AutoZone's headquarters, and in the FedEx World Technology Center in Collierville.

And more, and in recognition Rob was awarded the prestigious Francis Gassner Award by AIA Memphis in 2020. Scott Van Der Jagt, AIA, cited his friend and colleague's many accomplishments in the nomination, among those not already mentioned:

Leadership Memphis

Memphis Leadership Academy University of Arkansas Deans Circle, Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design

Grace-St. Luke's Vestry St. Columba, outreach ministry of the Episcopal Diocese of West Tennessee.

Regional Memphis Design Center, Founding Committee Member

Boys & Girls Club of Memphis, Board Member

All that being said, Rob was as comfortable and at ease in all those rooms as he was with his friends at Hatchie Coon, or with the guys at his Tuesday lunches, or with his buddies on a golf course. As comfortable in a conversation about city planning or about his 1957 Chevy.

All that being said, if you asked Rob what his proudest accomplishment might be he'd probably tell you passing all sections of his licensing exams in a single setting, or the people he's mentored, or maybe how far he hit a four iron that afternoon.

And then he'd tell you about a putt somebody else made.

Rob Norcross's vision is in the Memphis we see today, and that vision has helped set the standards for the Memphis we hope to see tomorrow.

He lives in that vision. He lives in our hearts.

A Requiem Eucharist will be offered Saturday, January 13, at 11 a.m. at Grace-St. Luke's Episcopal Church, 1720 Peabody Avenue, in Memphis.

The family asks that you wear blue or red, Rob's favorite colors, to his funeral service. We have grieved too long. It is time to celebrate as a community in honor of this fine man.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to Grace-St. Luke's Episcopal Church, St. Columba Episcopal Retreat Center, or The Walk to End Alzheimer's Team RoBoNo http://act.alz.org/goto/Team_RoBoNo.