Jason C.Norris

Jason Charles Norris, 43, of Clear Lake, died peacefully surrounded by family at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., after a courageous eight-month battle with leukemia.

A memorial visitation was held from 2-4 p.m., Sunday, Jan., 29, at Ward Van Slyke Colonial Chapel, Clear Lake.

A Celebration of Life service to honor Jason was held at 11 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 30, at Zion Lutheran Church, Clear Lake, with the Rev. Fred Lewis officiating.  In lieu of flowers memorials may be directed to Stephanie Norris.

Jason was born Sept. 17, 1979, to Charlie and Louise (Vorland) Norris of Clear Lake. He joined big sister, Jennifer, and the family of four spent years together enjoying their lives on the family farm. Charlie and Louise raised both kids in 4-H, scouts, boating, and enjoying the waters and beaches of Clear Lake. They enjoyed traveling all over the United States, a tradition Jason continued with his own family. Jason graduated from Clear Lake High School in 1998, where he participated in Model UN, playing the trumpet in band and he participated in tennis. 

Jason and Jennifer were raised closely alongside their cousins, Elizabeth and Matthew McNamara, sharing the joys of farming and outdoor life. They made countless memories together and the bonds they formed spanned a lifetime. 

Jason earned his Bachelor of Science degree from Iowa State University in 2004, a school he remained loyal and proud of. He gained lifelong friendships both on and off campus through his leadership of the ISU Ski and Snowboard Club. 

Jason married Julie Snyder which resulted in his most precious gift, a son, Rowan Charles. They later parted and he met the love of his life, Stephanie (Schmitt) Norris and her boys, Wesley and Reece. Jason and Stephanie were wed on Sept. 13, 2019 and together they admirably raised their boys with a never-wavering love for one another. Jason and Stephanie made cherished friendships as they built their lives together in Clear Lake. 

Jason loved the science of craft-beer brewing. He was able to combine his hobby of home brewing with his love of farming. Many weekends were spent growing, harvesting and preparing home brews in the garage. Jason was especially proud of a custom beer of which he grew the hops, barley, and grain himself with the aid of vintage farm equipment on the family farm. Jason looked forward to many more years of fun on the farm.

Jason was a proud dad. He enjoyed taking his boys hunting, fishing and ice fishing. He also became a baseball and soccer fan, watching games and supporting the boys when the farm work was done. He was an amazing role model and the boys have learned life lessons and skills from him they will never forget. 

Jason loved hard, played hard and worked hard. He was a dedicated employee at McKesson Corporation in Clear Lake where he moved up from night shift supervisor to Assistant Director of Operations. He believed in the company he worked for, respected his coworkers, and looked forward to many more memories at McKesson. 

Jason is preceded in death by his sister, Jennifer Cash; grandparents, Alice and Edmund Vorland, and Charles “Chuck” Norris; his uncle, Eugene Vorland; and father-in-law, Gerald Schmitt. 

Jason is survived by his wife, Stephanie Norris, Clear Lake; sons, Rowan Norris, Wesley and Reece Wharton; parents, Charlie and Louise Norris; grandmother, Ruth Norris; brother-in-law, Todd Cash; aunts and uncles, Cathy Vorland, Norman and Julie Vorland, and Larry and Linda McNamara; cousins, and their families, Elizabeth (Calvin) Thyer, Andrew and Alexa Thyer, Matt (Stephanie) McNamara, Michael and Makenna McNamara, Eric and Desiree Vorland, Sara (Dane) Whaley, Norah, Ava, and Connor Whaley, Jacob (Kate) Vorland, Alyson (Brandon) Ganey; nieces and their families, Katie (Dan) Behr, Abel, Lyla, and Gavin Behr, Madalynn Cash, mother-in-law, Marsha (John Ruff) Bailey; sister-in-law, Tonya (Thomas) Vogt, Chloey, Calista and Harper Vogt.

Ward Van Slyke Colonial Chapel, Clear Lake, was in charge of arrangements.