Perry Norris was born in Boone, North Carolina, and lived his childhood in poverty, sharing but one room with his entire family.

He died Oct. 9, 2023, at his Wishkah Valley home. He was 97.

Growing up, 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, Washington, but quickly made it over to Aberdeen, Washington 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 8th 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 and Jay Ellsworth, his niece Deb back in North Carolina, numerous grand and great-grandchildren, and last, but not least, his best friend Fred.