Norris Waddill lived a life of faithfulness, integrity, and good humor for 102 years. He was born December 21, 1922, in Ireland, TX, in Central Texas, and died January 26, 2025, in Little Elm, Texas.

A Celebration of Life will be held for Norris on Monday, February 10th, at 11:30 am at the North Dallas Funeral Home, located at 2710 Valley View Lane, Dallas, TX 75234. The burial will follow at 1:15 pm at the DFW National Cemetery at 2000 Mountain Creek Parkway, Dallas, TX 75211. After the burial, a casual gathering of friends and family will be held at the Tony Shotwell Life Center at 2750 Graham Street, Grand Prairie, TX 75050.

Micah 6:8 urges us to act justly, love mercy, and to walk humbly with God, so that is exactly what Norris did. His life could be divided into four distinct segments consisting of his early years in Central Texas on his family's ranch, his World War II service, his decades of service in the oil fields of West Texas and beyond, and his final years with his family as Grandpa Norris who always looked for ways to help.

Norris' parents were Leon Waddill and Jessie Dooley Waddill. Randolph Waddill was his older brother by two years, and Cathryne Waddill, later Cathryne Hubbs, was his younger sister by four years. Most of his jobs on the family ranch involved riding horseback since an operation on his heel before he was two years old made walking difficult. Besides his immediate family, his large extended family was close, and he grew up with the influence of grandparents, uncles, aunts, and cousins. He regularly heard first-hand stories of the US Civil War and the early days of Texas. This sealed his life-long identity as a Texan through and through.

The days of his simple ranching life in Central Texas ended in February 1943, when he enlisted in the US Army. Years later, he was inducted into the French Legion of Honor on November 11, 2017, recognizing his part in the D-Day invasion. An article from the French Consulate in Houston www.houstonconsulfrance.org/norris-waddill at that time summarized his Army service as follows:

"He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion of the 291st Infantry Division as a Messenger Dispatcher. He landed on Omaha Beach under heavy fire in the first vehicular wave early on D-day. From D-Day in June of 1944 to VE day in May of 1945, he drove over 29,000 miles in blackout conditions to deliver messages under General Gerow for General Charles De Gaulle and British Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery during the Normandy, Northern France, Rhineland, Central Europe, and Ardennes campaigns.

During one memorable mission he was asked to memorize aerial photographs and drive 90 miles in pitch black darkness to deliver a message that led to the fall of a German general. Throughout the war, he was instrumental in establishing a direct connection between the Americans, the British, and the Free French forces. For his actions, he was commended with the Bronze Arrowhead and a Bronze star, among others."

Norris recounted his WWII story in a self-published book called Shooting from the Hip: They Called Me Tex in WWII. Even though his service in the Army took him through many historic events from the beaches of Normandy to the streets of Paris to the Battle of the Bulge and into the post-war days in Europe, he never wanted to be a career soldier. He said, "I just wanted to serve my country and fight for what was right."

After returning from the war and marrying the love of his life, Cynthia (Louise) Kight Waddill, Norris found his calling in the oil fields of West Texas, where he had a successful, impactful career of 57 years. He was passionate about his work running wireline trucks where he constantly looked for ways to improve tools and techniques that would allow oil companies to maximize production. He turned down many management positions to continue working in the field, solving many difficult problems. He embraced emerging technologies with ease, making the switch from analog to digital tools in his sixties. Raymond Madden, an employer and friend, describes Norris as "a legend among his peers, always teaching and always learning." Madden also says that "as a serious seeker of truth, he could discuss results with PhDs or train a young rigger" with equal ease. Norris' steady, calm demeanor brought confidence to inherently dangerous situations, and his keen mind brought clarity and innovation to the industry in the Permian Basic and beyond.

After Louise passed away from cancer in 1993, Norris married Dr. Lois Bellis, a chiropractor. They were married almost a decade before Lois also died of cancer. When he thought Social Security rules would force him to retire, he offered to keep working for free and had to be talked into taking a salary. Eventually, he took "early retirement," as he called it, from the oil field when he was 86 years old, but that was too early for him. He continued to consult on difficult scenarios, and he constantly thought of oil field processes and how the work could be improved until the end of his life.

Throughout his life, Norris had a great sense of humor. He loved to laugh and to make people laugh. Everyone who knew him at any stage of his life was familiar with his stories, jokes, and one-liners.

Proverbs 20:7 NLT says that "The righteous who walks in his integrity – blessed are his children after him." That is illustrated in Norris' life. Norris and Louise had one daughter, Nancy Waddill Terry, who is married to Charles Terry. They currently live in Little Elm, Texas. Norris made his home with them for the last seventeen years where he looked for ways to help around the house and be a good grandpa to Charles and Nancy's sons. His three grandsons are Stephen, Johnathan, and David Terry.

Stephen and his wife Christine Exley live in Ann Arbor, Michigan, with their daughters Claire and Brooke. Johnathan and his wife Lacy live in Bonham, Texas, with their children Alanna and Eren. David and his girlfriend Megan Whiting live in Irving, Texas.

In addition to his daughter, grandsons, and their families, Norris is survived by several nieces and nephews and many great nieces and nephews. Sarah Jane Waddill Cours and Donald Randolph Waddill (deceased) are the children of Randolph Waddill and Donaletta Patteson Waddill. Sarah and her husband Wayne make their home in Pearland, Texas. Norris' surviving nieces from his sister Cathryne are May Elizabeth "Beth" Hubbs Ross Laskowsky Faucher of Arizona, Ruth Hubbs Biggs of California, Anne Hubbs Raibley of California, and Emily Hubbs Guinn of Nevada. Nephews Sydney, Lawrence, Dean, and Delbert "Del" Hubbs are deceased.

On his wife's Louise Kight's side of the family, Norris has two surviving nephews. Frankie Lynn Kight of Louisiana is the son of Raymond Kight, Louise's oldest brother, and Joseph King, Jr. of Georgia, is the son of her sister Dona Rae Kight King. His nephews Charles Kight, James Kight, Jerry Kight, and Cliff Kight all preceded him in death. His great nephews Bryan Kight (wife Emilee) and Steven Kight (wife Marcy) and his great-great nephew Hunter Kight will serve as pallbearers along with Norris' grandsons. Bryan and Steven are sons of Norris' deceased nephew Cliff Kight, and Hunter is Cliff's grandson. Barbara Sackrider of Kansas and Dick Bellis of Midland, Texas, are family members from Dr. Lois Bellis' side of the family. Norris' close friends and colleagues Raymond Madden, Joel Madden, and Kenny Taylor will officiate his funeral service. Yolanda Madden will lead music in the service.

Norris' friend Tom Kendle of Grapevine, Texas, has worked hard to make sure that Norris' WWII service was remembered and honored. Tom completed all the behind-the-scenes administrative work for Norris to be awarded the French Legion of Honor recognition, and he arranged for Norris to participate in an Honor Flight to Washington, D.C. Additionally, Tom purchased and restored a WWII Jeep that is an exact replica of Norris' Army Jeep, even including the same registration number. Tom maintains the Jeep and often drives it in parades and other patriotic events.

Norris' family would like to thank Dr. Stanley Sam and his team for their loving, compassionate care for Norris' general health needs as well as Dr. Mubashar Khan and his team for tremendous cardiac care. Three Oaks Palliative Care and Hospice provided exemplary care for his final days, and his family will be forever grateful to this exceptional team for the gift of having him at home for all of his days.

In lieu of flowers, Norris' family suggests that donations can be sent to his favorite charity, the Door of Hope Mission in Odessa, Texas. Their website is www.DoorOfHopeMission.com