David Charles Norris

David Charles Norris, 85, of Kewanna, died Sunday, March 19.

He was born in Hammond Indiana to parents Marion (Norrie) and Helen Carstensen Norris.

He was an accomplished musician on both piano and harp and as part of his military service was recruited to play the harp in the prestigious West Point Band and Orchestra. David loved the opera. He was not only a tireless and adventuresome attendee of the Lyric Opera of Chicago, but also a backstage supernumerary.

He had a professional career as an architect and designer and had his groundings in the modernist thought and practice of German born architect Mies van der Rohe at the Illinois Institute of Technology. While at IIT he joined forces with John Vinci and Richard Nickel to document, photograph and salvage original elements of the quickly disappearing works of famed architect Louis H. Sullivan, most notably from the Garrick Theater. He worked internationally in Chicago, Hong Kong and Germany and finally in sharing a home of his own design with family in Kewanna.

He is survived by siblings Terry Norris, Janel Norris and Coral Susan Norris. He was also a much-loved uncle and grand-uncle to numerous nieces and nephews. Sister Ruth Norris Cogdill preceded him in death.

Services were private.