Loris Norris

Loris Norris, 77, of Abilene, passed away Sunday, March 1, 2015 at Hendrick Medical Center. Funeral services will be at 11:00 am on Wednesday, March 4, 2015 at The Hamil Family Funeral Home, 6449 Buffalo Gap Road. Jim Harcourt will officiate. Burial will follow in Elmwood Memorial Park. The family will receive friends from 5:00 to 7:00 pm on Tuesday at the funeral home. Loris was born in Mills County, Texas on April 13, 1937 to John Franklin and Margret Luia May (Kemp) Merrill. She was the youngest of eight children. She married Melford Norris in August of 1981. They co-owned and operated Norris & Norris, Inc., an asphalt, paving and construction company. They ran the company together from 1981 until January of 1987 when Melford passed away. After Melford’s death, Loris continued to run their company on her own for the next 12 years, retiring in 1999. After retiring, she enjoyed spending time at her cabin in Ruidoso, New Mexico. Loris was a woman of simple design. In her life she never ceased in the pursuit of happiness, but to her was just another day. She longed for the moment she could make another face smile, even if it was for just a moment. Simply being in her presence would bring a warmth to your soul that was contagious to everyone in the room. As a master of floral arts, one could always find a bounty of red roses growing in her backyard, along with many other colorful flowers. She had a love for our feathered friends in this world and would share that love with any around. Her family came first, shown by the countless hours of playing cards, reminiscing over past memories or sharing life lessons to make you a better person. She was loved by many and was a friend to all. She was her daughters’ best friend and they will greatly miss her. Loris was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, four sisters, three brothers and one grandson, Jared Travis. She is survived by her two daughters, Paula Willis and husband Thomas of Abilene, and Karen Young of Albany; four grandchildren, Jalen Huckabay, Bryce Willis, Michala Huckabay and Meleigh Willis; as well as numerous nieces and nephews. Memorials may be made in honor of Loris to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation-Northeast Texas Chapter, 3102 Maple Ave., Suite 120, Dallas, TX 75201; or to Donate Life Texas, 5489 Blair Road, Dallas, TX 75231.