Perry Norris was born in Boone, NC and lived his childhood in poverty, sharing but one room with his entire
family. No electricity was the norm, and food was scarce, but none of his stories of the past were ever told to
make you feel sorry for him. He was proud of his past and it helped create who he was, a great man.
At 18, Perry enlisted in the army, and eventually was deployed to Hiroshima just after the Japanese
surrender.
Upon leaving the military with an honorable discharge, he came back to the states but not back to his
hometown. He first made his way West and landed in Tacoma, WA., but quickly made it over to Aberdeen, WA
when the town was still flourishing with timber and fisheries. He remained in Aberdeen the rest of his life, got
a job at Weyerhaeuser and made it a career until his retirement in 1982. He finally settled down and married
at 50 years young to the last love of his life, Aberdeen's homegrown Arlene Norris (Hood) and adopted her
entire family as his own, never once making anyone feel any less than a full-blooded relative.
Although he had what most would call a "simple life" he was great at all he did in that life. From gardening,
hunting, fishing (there's a Steelhead Champ of 1961 trophy to prove it), chicken fanatic, local poker legend,
friend, husband, dad, grandpa, and great grandpa… I could write a list a mile long. Though Perry proclaimed
he only made it through the 8 th grade, he was incredibly smart and savvy when it came to people and saving a
buck. Whenever a need on his little farm came up, that's when you saw the extraordinary capital of goodwill
Perry had cached over the years.
Perry understandably had many friends and made a huge impact on them all. He was an incredible human
and embodied what's most important no matter what your background; to be humble, kind, funny, honest,
loyal, hard-working, and independent. He always had time for you and wanted you around. Always.

Perry will be incredibly missed by all who knew him and leaves behind his beautiful wife Arlene, her (their)
three children Shari DeHart, Sharilyn DeHart, Jay Ellsworth, his Niece Deb back in NC, and numerous grand
and great grandchildren, and last, but not least, his best friend Fred.