Norris H. Gould Sr.

Date of Birth

Dec 04,1916

Date of Death

Apr 06,2007

Norris H. Gould, Sr.age 90, of Elburn, passed away unexpectedly at Rush-Copley Medical Center, Aurora, IL, Friday afternoon, April 6, 2007, due to pneumonia. Called home on Good Friday, Norris claimed the eternal promise of his Savior and rests now in that Kingdom which has no end.BORN / EARLY YEARSHe was born December 4, 1916 on the Crescent Grove family farm in Elburn, the son of Newton Seavey and Helen (Davis) Gould. It was seventeen-degrees below zero the day Norris was born and there was so much snow that his father had to take his horses half-way to Big Rock to meet Dr. Marion and bring him to their home. EDUCATIONNorris grew up on the family farm and orchard and attended Gould-Soulders Elementary school, near his home. He was just twelve when his mother, Helen, passed away suddenly. Living together with his grandparents, Hiram and Nora (Seavey) Gould, Norris and his family were able to manage and Norris went on to graduate from Elburn High School with the class of 1935. MARRIAGE & FAMILYOn June 30, 1937, he was united in marriage to Frances Mary Keasler. They made their home in Big Rock where Norris helped with the Keasler family trucking business. The mechanical ingenuity that would become one of the hallmarks of Norris’ life, grew with each new challenge. Soon, he began working at the Big Rock Elevator and briefly farmed his uncle’s land before setting foot for the first time, at R.F. Houtz and Son. It was a place he would come to call "home" and many would remember his years there. WAR YEARSWith the onset of WWII, Norris began working at Stevens-Adamson, a defense plant, in Aurora. For a time, after the war, he worked as a mechanic at Thomason Chevrolet, Elburn, before returning to his "working family" at R.F. Houtz and Son. OCCUPATIONIn later years, Norris also worked at Portable Electric Tool, Geneva and Furnas Electric, Batavia, before retiring in 1982, to become the "Chief Mechanic and Engineer" at Gould’s Cider.LIFE NOTES Always a farmer at heart, Norris planted a huge garden at the farm and the harvest was sold at the cider mill. Through the years, his "mechanical magic" not only kept things running at his farm, but at many others as well. Norris’ magic was one part ingenuity, one part patience and one part pure stubbornness. The "impossible" sometimes took a little longer, but he always won. In the community, everyone knew Norris. He was always interested in the lives of others and always had some lesson to share from his own. His sense of humor is as legendary as his humility and his faith was clearly the cornerstone of his life and the heart-beat of his every-day-living. Norris was devoted to his wife of nearly seventy years, Frances, his children, grandchildren and great grandchildren, will always be the invisible guest at every gathering. MEMBERSHIPSHe was a former member of the Village Bible Church, Sugar Grove where he became a Christian and led a changed life. SURVIVORS He is survived by his wife, Frances, of 69 yrs.,Seven Children – Norris Howard (Arlene) Gould Jr. of Plano, IL,Roger Dean (Sandi) Gould of Geneva, ILLarry (Rita) Gould of Elburn, ILTimothy (Robin) Gould of St. Charles, IL,Steven (Faith) Gould of Naperville, IL andThomas (Marilyn) Gould of Elburn, ILCynthia (Kerry) Kane of Big Rock, IL,Eighteen grandchildren: Tammy Gould,Greg Gould,Michael (Kelly) Gould,Todd (Tina) Gould,Jeff (Sandy) Gould,Jenni (Scott) Siebert, Michele Munoz,Shauna Gould,Andrew Gould,Joshua Gould,Jennet Allison,Benjamin Gould,Katie Gould,Kenny Gould,Peter Gould,Lauren Gould,Zachary Kane,Dawn Gould (wife of the late Jason Gould)Thirteen Great-grandchildren:Gregory, Daniel;Amanda, Dustin, Brianne, Michael,;Elizabeth;Abigail, Caleb and Seth ;Alex, Ryan, Kristin;Two sisters: Mary Mitchell of Bradenton, FLAnd Helen Johnson of Elburn, ILAs well as several nieces and nephews.In addition, he leaves his "adopted" daughter and son, Martha and Jay Martin who were Norris’ faithful caregivers. PRECEDED He is preceded in death by his parents, two brothers, Webb N. and Charles P. Gould and one grandson, Jason Gould.MEMORIAL A memorial has been established in Norris’ name to assist with the care of his beloved wife, Frances. Memorials checks may be made to the Norris Gould Memorial and mailed in care of P.O. Box 66, Elburn, IL 60119. Tributes and memories may also be forwarded to the family at the same address or through his obituary at www.conleycare.com.

Visitation will be held, Wednesday, April 11, 2007 from 4-8pm at Conley Funeral Home, 116 W. Pierce St., Elburn and Thursday, April 12 from 11:30 am until 12:30 pm at the Community Congregational Church, Elburn. Funeral services will begin at church at 1pm. The Rev. Robert Meisner, pastor of the church, and Norris’ dear long-time friend, the Rev. James Harper, will officiate.

Interment will follow at Kaneville Cemetery.

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