Elwood Lloyd Norton

Norton, Rev.

Elwood Lloyd

South Haven, Michigan

Rev. Elwood Lloyd Norton, age 91, passed away Thursday, January 11, 2024. He was born in Twining, MI on May 3, 1932 to Lloyd & Thelma (Hewitt) Norton and served his country in the US Army from 1953-1955. He married the former Elaine Viola on October 3, 1953 and she preceded him in death in 2022. Elwood graduated from Grand Rapids School of Bible and Music and served several churches including, South Wayne Community Church in Dowagiac, Chester Gospel Church in Charlotte, Clarksville Bible Chuch in Clarksville and Inter-City Bible Church in Lansing. He was currently a member at Pullman Bible Church and also a member of Independent Fundamental Churches of America (IFCA)

SURVIVORS

Son, Vince (Jean) Norton; daughter, Vonelle (Steve Rutherford) Swanson; grandchildren, Michael (Callie) Norris, great-grandchild, Miles Norris; sisters, Colleen (Reginald) Russell, Norma (William) Walters; brother, Terry (Teri) Norton. He was preceded in death by his wife, Elaine and a great-grandson Mason Norris.

CELEBRATION OF LIFE

A Celebration of Elwood's life will take on Friday, May 3, 2024 at 12:00 Noon at Michigan Maritime Museum, 260 Dyckman Ave, South Haven, MI 49090 with Visitation starting at 11:30 am at the Museum. Interment in Fort Custer National Cemetery has already taken place.MEMORIAL: Pullman Bible Church, PO Box 88, Pullman, MI 49450 or Independent Bible Mission: Please visit www.clockfuneralhome.com to read his amazing life story, leave a memory or sign the online guestbook.

Elwood's amazing life story can be seen below.

Elwood Norton Life Story

Birthed at home in the family farm-house close to Twining, Michigan, Elwood was the first-born of Thelma and Lloyd Norton. Over the course of 19 years sisters Colleen, Norma and finally brother Terry joined the family. The Norton's were dairy farmers and Elwood tells stories of milking cows by hand before the first milker was acquired. Another one of his jobs was delivering to the customers on the milk route for Norton Dairy.

His love for horses started early since they used horses for farming. When tractors arrived on the farm Elwood clearly remembers his dad getting to the end of a row and yelling "WO" at the tractor. It's a great visual.

Apparently, another job for Elwood as a boy was killing and cleaning chickens, and as a result he NEVER cared to eat chicken for the rest of his life.

His high school class had around 20 students and for years he would softly chuckle and claim that he dated every one of the girls in his class. Somehow between the farm and the girls, he found time for sports and enjoyed playing football - in a leather helmet and no facemask, along with basketball.

As luck would have it the family with the farm across the road had a niece by the name of Elaine. By the time high school ended Elaine had talked her aunt into an introduction. Pretty sure he stopped dating everyone after that.

During these years Elwood was active in Twining Baptist Church including teaching Sunday School. He was admired by a young man in his Sunday school class (Bruce Craner) who later followed Elwood's footsteps, enrolled in Bible School, and became a minister. Bruce may have been the first person to be inspired by Elwood, and many more would follow in the years to come.

In May of 1953 the Army called and dad served 2 years. His official role as a private first class was "Combat Engineer." He recalls building bridges, driving a truck over the bridge to test it, and then blowing the bridge up. Un-officially he ran the stable for the officers' horses where he developed a special love for a horse named "Whitey." As the story goes, Whitey was also a favorite of the children who came to ride. This annoyed Elwood, so he trained the horse to go around a tree close to the barn and then come right back. When anyone else rode dad's favorite, their ride was greatly shortened because Whitey went around the tree and returned to the stable. The kids would demand another horse. It was all part of his ploy to keep Whitey for himself. Years later, Elwood delighted in sharing this story with everyone.

In September of 1953 he learned that he would stay state-side and not be deployed over-seas. Elaine quickly planned a wedding, and they were married on October 3, 1953. They travelled back to the base, lived in married housing and were together for the next 69 years.

After leaving the Army, Elwood turned his love for horses into a career and worked for "Major" a well-to-do businessman with beautiful property at Point Lookout on Saginaw Bay/Lake Huron. His primary job was to look after and train the horses - including Tennessee Walkers, but he was often called on to drive a fishing boat, maintain the pool, or anything else that needed attention. Vonelle (1956) and Vince (1959) arrived during this chapter and made occasional appearances in the horse barn or with "Queenie" Elwood's favorite beagle.

In 1961 Elwood felt called to the ministry and the family moved to the Grand Rapids, MI area where he enrolled in a 3-year program at Grand Rapids School of the Bible and Music. He worked at Keeler Brass and discovered that "piece work" could pay off if you were speedy. Between school and work he and Elaine found time to take the kids to John Ball Park Zoo or Johnson Park in the winter for sledding. He was truly committed to family.

After graduating from Bible School, he took the helm of a small church just outside Dowagiac, MI. The salary was minimal, so family income was supplemented with work at a mobile home manufacturer in Elkhart, IN. Small horses (ponies) entered the family for a while with the hope of introducing a kindergarten kid and a third grader to equestrian life. It's possible that one or both kids weren't sold on "Fury" the pony. But it was a gallant effort.

After two years in Dowagiac, a larger church romanced Elwood to relocate to the Charlotte, MI area. They even paid enough that a second job was no longer necessary. The next four years were spent ministering to a much larger congregation, and sadly there were some impactful funeral messages to deliver. The hardest was a small boy who died in a car accident. That service was challenging, and Elwood reflected back on that often.

On the bright side, during this time period Elwood and Elaine became close to Darwyn and Karen Hassert, who led a congregation in the adjacent town. Darwyn and Elaine shared the same birthday and for 50+ years they'd all do a birthday lunch on or around September 19th.

By 1970 it was time to move up again to a larger church in Clarksville, MI. Adjusting from country living to a small town with nosy neighbors wasn't easy, but for the next 12 years it was home. Both kids graduated high school in this town and lived up to the proverbial "preachers kids" image with a few incidents here and there that made life harder for the leader of the flock. (Sorry Dad!)

In 1972 Elwood helped Missionary Paul Gess drive an International 4-wheel drive double cab pickup truck to Bolivia. That trip formed a bond between the two that continued until January 9, 2024 when Paul and Marilyn visited for the last time.

Counseling and mediating church member issues now became part of the routine. Elwood's answer was to paint the word "FIRST" on a 4-inch rock. That rock never left his desk for the next 50 years. When members complained about others, or had an issue, Elwood would gesture towards the rock and softly recommend: "He who is without sin can throw the first stone." Today that rock sits proudly on Vince's desk.

Being in a larger church, just 30 miles from Grand Rapids, also gave Elwood the opportunity to mentor up and coming Bible School students. That brought Craig and Sally Ann into their lives. Craig was a dynamic young man, and both were talented musicians. They credit Elaine and Elwood for shaping their lives and stayed in touch until the end.

The same could be said about Bud and Bonnie, another aspiring minister and his wife that E & E took under their wings. Even though the Haskell's moved to California, they would make sure to visit the Norton's in South Haven when they saw Bonnie's parents.

This era also produced ties with Bruce and Sharon Nelson, who delighted in playing board games on their visits to the Norton's over the next 40 years.

Being an independent minister meant moving on to another work when you were called by the Lord. In the early 80's that meant relocating to his final full-time work in Lansing, MI. The massive parsonage gave E & E plenty of opportunity to entertain church members. These were prime years for the farm boy from Twining. Many new and lasting relationships were kindled here, and they continued for years to come.

On the flip side, a large church in a metropolitan area introduced new challenges for Elwood. At the same time the world was changing, and new issues surfaced that he never dreamed he would have to deal with in the church. He grew to dislike the conflict and confrontational elements of the position and at age 62 retreated to a quieter life back in Twining, Michigan. For the next 14 years Elwood served as an Interim Pastor in various churches in Northern, MI and did stints as "pulpit supply" when resident pastors were vacationing. He resisted the word "retired" and insisted he was "recycled."

Someplace in here Chris & Gloria Brown adopted E & E as their Michigan parents. With Vince and Vonelle out of state, and the Brown's parent also in Ohio, it was a great fit for everyone.

These 14 years were filled with Joy. An old Ford tractor emerged, and Elwood enjoyed puttering in the woods, hunting on his father-in-law's property a mile away, watching deer and turkeys in the back yard, and returning to his country roots. Life was good.

In 2007 Vince and Jean suggested that Mom and Dad AND Granddad move to South Haven. Granddad would go into independent living, and Mom and Dad would get their first ever new house, connected to Vince and Jean's cabin. In 2008 this plan came to fruition. Elaine was elated to have a brand-new home. Elwood now had 23 acres to roam. He cut and split his own firewood and enjoyed his wood stove. He proudly told everyone, that he was the CMO of the estate. That meant Chief Maintenance Officer. He rigged up a hook on the golf cart to take the garbage to the road, plowed the driveway with the mule, created a workbench in the barn, and made countless piles of firewood. In a word, Elwood was in Heaven. There were no neighbors, gorgeous views, bountiful birds, and an abundance of peace and quiet.

During this time, Elwood supported Elaine's need to care for her father, Henry. He put his own needs and desires second and made sure his father-in-law had priority. Henry lived until 101 and Elwood performed the funeral service at age 84. At one point in the service, Elwood got choked up, paused, looked across the audience and said: "Did you expect me not to cry?" It was brilliant and he delivered his best and last service.

Pullman Bible Church was another bright spot during the South Haven days. Elwood and Pastor Jeff both loved horses, and the "Sermons on the Mount" (which pastor delivered on horseback) were his favorite. Elwood couldn't wait for the monthly Sunday potlucks, and he LOVED to talk farming with Todd and Renee, the onion farmers as he called them. They were a huge blessing to him.

The final chapter wasn't quite as joyful, but Elwood made a huge impact on the caregivers at both Appledorn and Maple Ridge. He knew his favorites by name at both facilities. Michelle was his sweetheart at Appledorn and Laura and Morgan loved on him at Maple Ridge. They were by his side with Vince for his final breath.

He lit up whenever he saw pictures of his great grandson Miles, and he was delighted that family members sent photos to his electronic frame. Watching the birds gave him enjoyment, and when his indoor-outdoor thermometer needed batteries, it was essential they be replaced. He loved that little instrument.

Although he lost his filters and would blurt out whatever was on his mind, the staff greatly enjoyed him and had fun with him. Once day in early January Elwood was in the dining room and yelled "help." A caregiver came right over and said "Elwood, what do you need?" His answer was: "I need your attention!" and laughs were had by all.

The administration and caregivers alike had great respect for Elwood, which could stem from him saying grace for the table before each meal. Even with Dementia, his faith NEVER wavered.

When the team lined up for the "Honor Walk" at Maple Ridge on January 11 there were 14 of us with wet eyes. It was a fantastic send-off for an amazing man who dedicated his life to serving others.

We could all learn a lesson or two from him.