Joseph A. Norris

The Norris Family is sad to announce the passing of Joseph A. Norris, Jr., at 101 years of age. Joe passed peacefully at home on April 23 after a long and happy life. He was born at his childhood home in Northeast Washington, DC in 1923 to the late Joseph A. Norris, Sr. and Grace B. (Whalley) Norris. He is preceded in death by sisters Dorothy Norris (age 5) and Margaret Elizabeth "Betty" (Norris) White (age 95). He was a devoted husband and preceded in death by his late wife, Teresa A. "Tess" (Erlenbach) Norris.
Joe attended school at St. James Catholic Elementary School in Northeast Washington DC and is believed to be the last surviving member of Gonzaga College High School, Class of 1941. Following high school, Joe attended Georgetown University but his college education was interrupted by his enlistment in the U.S. Army. While in Europe, Joe was assigned to Company B, 110 Infantry Regiment 1st Battalion 28th Infantry Division. On December 17, 1944, he and his fellow soldiers were captured at the Battle of the Bulge. They arrived at Bad Orb, Germany ten days later and were incarcerated at Stalag IXB prisoner of war (POW) camp until April 1945 when they were liberated by allied forces. After proudly serving his country in WWII, he completed his formal education at Georgetown Law School with degrees in Social Sciences and Law.
After his marriage to Tess in 1950, Joe worked briefly as a lawyer in private practice then joined the federal government at the Civil Service Commission, now the Office of Personnel Management. While he and Tess raised their four children, Joe was also involved in the Boy Scouts, President of the District Heights Boys & Girls Club, and completed many hours of volunteer work with Meals-on-Wheels.
To fulfill the wish of his deceased wife that her aging mother not be put into a senior/nursing home, Joe lovingly and graciously moved his mother-in-law Mary (Ryan) Erlenbach "Grandma Erlenbach" into his home. Joe became the caregiver for "Grandma Erlenbach" for seven years until her death in 1989.
Joe's passions were far and wide. He had a zest for discovery and adventures, planning outrageous projects and organizing large family vacations, making for fond and loving memories for all. As a widower, he developed an interest in square dancing which later included all kinds of dancing: round dancing, ballroom dancing, line dancing. Joe and his favorite dance partners were passionate about dancing and it was not uncommon for them to dance three and four nights a week as well as Saturdays and Sundays. When not dancing, they would travel and cruise internationally and take cross-country driving vacations.
Joe was a great story teller and jokester. Once he learned how to maneuver his way around his computer back in the early 1980s, he became an internet/email enthusiast. He spent countless hours each day surfing the web, sending out jokes via email, reading borrowed library books online, documenting memories from his childhood, youth and prisoner of war time and researching and recording his family genealogy. Up to the end of his life, he had an incredible memory, was an articulate speaker and had an ability to recall vivid details of his youth, adolescence and his traumatic ordeal as a POW.
Those left to cherish his memory are his children: Nancy A. Walter, Joseph A. Norris, III, (Beth), the late Charles "Chip" A. Norris (Valerie), and Teresa "Terri" E. Wood. Grandsons: Evan Wood, Neil Wood, Bryson Norris (Shelly), Samuel Norris, Luke Norris. Great Granddaughters: Kennedy Norris and Peyton Norris. Uncle Joe will be missed by many nephews and nieces and their families.
It was Joe's wish not to have a visitation, funeral or service; a private inurnment at Cedar Hill Cemetery, Suitland, MD will occur at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the organization of your choice or Hospice of the Chesapeake, 9500 Medical Center Drive, Suite 250, Largo, MD 20774, www.hospicechesapeake.org