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Norris L. Tibbetts

1921 - 2022

BORN

1921

DIED

2022

FUNERAL HOME

Cress Funeral & Cremation Service - Madison West

3610 Speedway Road

Madison, Wisconsin

Norris Tibbetts Obituary

Norris L. Tibbetts

Aug. 12, 1921 - Oct. 22, 2022

MADISON - Norris Tibbetts passed away on October 22, 2022, at the age of 101, at his home in Madison.

He was born on August 12, 1921, in Boston, MA, and lived two years in Greenwich, NY. His father was a Baptist minister; his mother was active in social and church affairs. The family moved to Chicago in 1923. Norris went to the University Elementary School and High School (class of '38). Norris went to college at Harvard, class of '42. He had a brief connection with Camp William James and the CCC.

He enlisted and served for two years in the 87th Mountain Infantry Battalion and two years in the 34th Infantry Regimental Combat Team. He saw action in the Aleutian Islands, the South Pacific and eventual occupation of Japan. He received the following campaign ribbons: Asiatic Pacific Theater: three battle stars; Philippine Liberation: two battle stars; Presidential Unit Citation; Combat Infantry Badge; American Defense; Victory Medal; Bronze Star; Silver Star and Good Conduct Medal.

After the war he took a job as a mill worker in Allentown PA before becoming a union organizer there and a union representative in Danville, VA.

He married Alice May Horton in 1947. Norris, Alice and their two daughters, Mary and Ellen; moved to Madison in 1954. They had two more children, Steve and Dorothy, and a foster daughter, Prudence.

From 1954 to 1983, Norris was an instructor with the University of Wisconsin School for Workers. He volunteered as a church youth group advisor for several years.

Volunteer work after retirement included coaching for the Special Olympics, tutoring in Madison schools and teaching English to spouses of foreign students. He delivered Meals on Wheels, receiving an award for 10,000 meals delivered. He volunteered for VA home-based hospital care and the UW Hospital Pediatric Ward. He enjoyed down-hill skiing, fishing, gardening and mountain climbing. He played the guitar and bass fiddle and he and Alice enjoyed getting together with other musicians for informal sing-alongs. Norris and Alice spent summers in Northern NH and VT.

Norris is survived by his sisters: Louise Smith and Eleanor Hanrahan; his four children; four grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. He is preceded in death by his wife Alice; sister, Priscilla; brother, Joel; and granddaughter, Alice.

A memorial service will be held next summer in Randolph, NH.

Memorial contributions, if any, should go to the charity of your choice.

Please share memories at www.CressFuneralService.com.

Cress Funeral Service

3610 Speedway Rd.

Madison, WI 53705

608-238-3434

To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.

Published by Madison.com on Oct. 30, 2022.

Memories and Condolences
for Norris Tibbetts

Sponsored by Cress Funeral & Cremation Service - Madison West.

7 Entries

Jeff Fishel

May 27, 2023

My memories of Norris Tibbetts are of a young boy who grew up across the street. At some point during holidays we would gather in the Tibbetts living room to sing folk songs and union songs. Norris knew all the words and would belt them out as he played the guitar to prompt the rest of us to sing along. One memory that to me speaks Norris to me is when I was visiting my folks in Madison with my wife, Kari, and kids, and spent an evening with the old "Madison" crowd including Norris and Alice. Norris of course brought his guitar. When he learned my wife was Norwegian, he broke into the Norwegian folksong "Per Spellman". While Kari and I knew the first verse, Norris knew them all. He explained he learned that and other folksongs during WW II while training with the Norwegian forces. He was a fighter, a guitar player, a musicologist, a union man, a father and a friend. I was lucky to know him.

East YMCA Staff

November 29, 2022

We the staff in the Special Needs (Special Olympics) at the East YMCA send are harts to the family of Norris Tibbetts.
Thank you for all your help volunteering with are program
and being are friend.

Tom Ilgen

November 3, 2022

Norris Tibbetts was a mentor and dear friend for over sixty years. While he was not a regular church attender, he took on the job as leader and advisor of the Sigma Nu Youth Group at the First Congregational Church in Madison, Wisconsin in the early 1960s. I was member of the group in high school and the experience enriched my life in many ways. Norris was the glue that held the group together and he became a counselor and advisor to many teens struggling through the awkward years of adolescence. Sunday evening gatherings were highlighted by Norris playing the guitar and leading in the group in song--"It takes a Worried Man," "Freight Train," "Coming Home from Bangor," "Swing Low," "The Ash Grove." He organized retreats and outings of all sorts and offered opinions and advice only when asked. He organized a Dixieland Band and took us on the road to union halls where we played for workers and accompanied refrains of "There is Power in a Union," "Which Side Are You On?", "Sixteen Tons," "We Shall Not be Moved," and "Solidarity Forever." Most of us were to young to appreciate Norris' commitment to the labor movement in Wisconsin and he seldom spoke about it.
While I moved away from Wisconsin in the early 1970s, visits to family in Madison routinely included a visit to Norris and Alice Tibbetts. We spoke of many things in our lives but always saved time for reminiscing about the Sigma Nu days. Clearly they were as important to Norris as they were to me and all of my cohort. We often pulled out the old songbook and Norris accompanied our singing on guitar while Alice strummed a bass twice her size. Music and singing together must be a recipe for a good marriage. I took up the guitar after I retired and was always eager to show Norris what I had learned. Appropriately, he was never much impressed but encouraged me to keep at it. I still have a copy of his songbook and have mastered many of the songs to sing with my granddaughters. Norris and Alice were dear friends of my mother and sister and always included them in family holiday gatherings. A session of music and singing always followed a big meal together.

Norris Tibbetts was one of a kind. He was intelligent and wise, kind and caring, principled and loyal. Friendship with Norris developed slowly but once established lasted a lifetime. He never called attention to himself and was content to let others take center stage. He will be missed.
Tom Ilgen

Ron Kent

October 31, 2022

Norris was one of the most outstanding labor educators in the USA. I had the honor and privilege to work with him over many years. He helped me develop labor education programs for AFSCME members all over Wisconsin. We often rode together to distant classes and co-taught many programs.
I learned of his heroism in WWII fighting fascism in the Philippines, his outstanding organizing work in the South for the CIO and his eternal faith in the labor movement. He was my mentor/ friend. He stood up for the rights of working people whether with TAA or industrial or public sector unions. He was humble and kind, brave and true. I bow to his memory. May his name be a blessing always.
Peace and Solidarity,
Ron Kent, AFSCME
Education Rep. (Retired)

Milton McMillen

October 30, 2022

Condolences to family. I have many wonderful memories of Norris and Gale at Sigma Nu from the 1960s.

Sandra Christensen

October 30, 2022

I loved the time spent with Alice and Norris singing Union Songs and,at the holidays, singing carols. They were a dynamic couple that did so much for others. Keep on singing Norris. You will be missed.

The Staff of Cress Funeral & Cremation Service

October 30, 2022

Offering our deepest condolences during this difficult time.

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