John D. Norris: 'Pillar of the community' in North Babylon

When John D. Norris’ four children got into college, they each received two things: a car and a receipt.

“We would have to pay him for a car we didn’t ask for,” said his youngest daughter, Aqila of Brooklyn. “But he knew if we were educated, we would always succeed and we would always have resources. He wanted to show us we could work and he believed in our talent and that we were capable.”

Norris, a resident of North Babylon, died on April 15 at 84 of complications from COVID-19.

“He was just a fellow and his interest was in humanity and that’s what he did,” said Vinnia Norris, his wife of 64 years. “My house was always open to young people. We never knew the impact we had on a lot of young people until they started telling us.”

Norris devoted both his professional and personal life to helping others. After graduating high school, the South Carolina native moved to New York, where he got a job as a police officer with the New York City Transit Police Department.

“That career of helping people was something he thought would be relevant in making changes in society and for his family,” said his daughter Ina Norris, who lives in the Bronx.

After retiring, Norris became a member of the New York City Police Council of Retired Guardians and New York City Retired Transit Police Officers Association. He committed his free time to the NAACP of Suffolk County and to the North Babylon School District, as well as organizing citizens to vote.

He was also a member of the Belmont Lake Civic Association for more than 50 years, helping maintain and beautify his neighborhood and advocating for equality. The association took to Facebook after his death to remember Norris as a “pillar of the community” and a “role model and a giant to so many young men and women who grew up in North Babylon.”

That was perhaps nowhere more evident than in his implementation of the Rites of Passage program. The mentoring program taught life skills and the importance of education to young men throughout North Babylon.

“It was something he felt he needed to do,” said his son, John Norris Jr., who lives in Bay Shore. “I spoke at a drug prevention workshop with him and I was able to witness how he impacted the lives of so many.”

In addition to his wife, son and daughters, Norris is survived by his daughter Gilda Norris of Chicago, 10 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren. The family plans to hold a memorial service in the future.