Norton Kale

1935 - 2025

News story
By Mike Sigov
Blade Staff Writer

Norton Kale, a near-lifetime owner and operator of a landmark East Toledo business, died Monday in Hospice of Northwest Ohio Ebeid Hospice Center, Sylvania. He was 89.

He died from an apparent respiratory failure, his wife of 41 years, Susan Kale, said.

"He was very gentlemanly, very sincere, [with] a nice smile on his face the whole time, with a good handshake - all those things that make you want to do business with him," said David Czerniak, a fellow East Toledo business owner and friend.

"You just felt very comfortable around [him]," Mr. Czerniak said.

Mr. Kale owned and operated what is now Norty's East Side Auto Parts, a used car and parts shop on 1st Street, from the late 1950s, when he and his late brother Jack Kale took over from their late father Charles Kale, who had started the business in 1926 as a scrapyard.

His sons upgraded the family business into a car repair shop.

Mr. Kale and his brother Jack operated the shop together until the latter stepped away from it in the 1970s. Mr. Kale then ran it until about 2011, when he retired and handed it over to his sons, Jeffrey and Andrew Kale.

"He had a kind heart in a sincere way, and he never, in big letters, ruffled feathers," Jeffrey Kale said. "[And] my two bothers, Larry and Andy, would agree that our dad was a wonderful coach and mentor to our entire Lincolnshire neighborhood."

Toledo's Lincolnshire neighborhood is roughly bounded by I-475 to the north, Secor Road to the east, Central Avenue to the south, and Woodley Road to the west.

Deb Groh, a daughter, described Mr. Kale in similar terms.

"He was extremely kind, extremely generous," Ms. Groh said. "He was a mentor to a number of people. He willingly gave his knowledge and his heart and his love."

"He kind of ran a neighborhood business and treated everyone really well, and they turned around and told their friends and their friends, and yeah, he was very popular," she continued. ... He was honest and sincere and non-opposing. He didn't need to be the talk of the town. He was very quiet."

Born April 30, 1935, in Toledo to Tillie and Charles Kale, he graduated in 1953 from Woodward High School and later attended the University of Toledo, where in 1959 he obtained a bachelor's degree in business administration.

Upon graduation, Mr. Kale joined the Army National Guard, where he was a military police officer until he received an honorable discharge in 1964, with a rank of lieutenant.

While still in college, he married the former Barbara Schway. They raised three sons together and later divorced. She died in 1999.

In his free time, he liked to restore antique cars. Over the years, he also enjoyed playing tennis, bowling, skiing, and sailing.

He is survived by his second wife, Susan Kale. Also surviving are his sons, Lawrence Kale, Jeffrey Kale, and Andrew Kale; and the three children he gained when he married Mrs. Kale, son, Steve Groh, and daughters, Cindy Kirby and Deb Groh; and 13 grandchildren.

A graveside service will begin at 11 a.m. Thursday at Beth Shalom Cemetery.

The family suggests tributes to Congregation B'nai Israel, Chabad House, or the Tunnel to Towers Foundation.