Dr. J. Carl Norris 1923-2024
J. Carl (J.C.) Norris, Jr. passed away peacefully on Jan. 6, 2024 at age 100 in Bryan. Dr. Norris lived an exceptional life, blessed by the grace of God with abundant family and friends, a wonderful career of service and a marriage that lasted almost eight decades.
J.C. was born to Gertrude and Julius Norris Sr. on July 18, 1923 in Arkansas. He was an exceptional student and graduated as the salutatorian of the Atlanta, Texas class of 1940. He moved away to attend the College of Marshall (now ETBU) in Marshall, where he met his lifelong sweetheart, Charm Moseley of Mineola. They were married in 1942 before J.C. headed off to serve in WWII. J.C. was always interested in the medical field, and after an extended recovery from a tragic plane crash during his time in the Army Air Corps, he graduated in 1945 as the valedictorian of his class at the Southern College of Optometry in Memphis, Tenn.
In 1946, the young doctor and his bride returned to Mineola to be closer to family and to build an optometry practice that would serve the people of East Texas. However, he immediately grew a mustache as he discovered that all of his patients thought he was too young to practice his profession or to properly prescribe and fit glasses. Dr. Norris provided care for his patients for 45 years and helped to build what is today, Mineola Eyecare.
J.C. was also a dedicated member of First Baptist Church Mineola. From chairman of the deacons to the Long-Range Planning Committee and the Building Steering Committee to Sunday School teacher, and countless other committees, J.C. served in just about every capacity available at First Baptist. In his later years, he was often thought of as the “walking encyclopedia of the history of FBC Mineola.”
Giving to his community also took up a large share of J.C,’s time. He served several terms on the Mineola School Board, the board of the Chamber of Commerce, the board of the First National Bank, the Mineola Rotary Club, the ETBU Board of Trustees, the ETBU Advisory Board, and the Mineola City Council. When asked to fulfill a partial mayoral term, he was elected one of the youngest mayors to serve in Mineola. Often, J.C. carried the responsibility of leadership roles as the chairman or the president or the director of these organizations. He was awarded the Mineola Rotary Man of the Year in 1981. Upon his retirement from optometry, he joined the board of directors of the Meredith Foundation, serving for 24 years as a member and later as chairman. He was honored by the Mineola Chamber of Commerce with a Distinguished Citizen Award for his life of service in 2001. J.C. was proud to have been a part of so many opportunities to build a robust Mineola for generations to come.
In addition to caring for his patients, managing a business and serving his community, J.C. will be remembered first and foremost by his family as a beloved husband, father and grandfather. He was blessed with a marriage that spanned 78 years full of joy, generosity, two wonderful daughters and now grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He traveled the world with his wife visiting six continents, was an avid reader and stayed abreast of current events by regularly reading two or three newspapers, and never passed up a chance for a piece of cherry pie. He will always be remembered for his keen sense of humor, willingness to lend a hand and readiness to triumph at a mean game of cards.
Dr. Norris is preceded in death by his wife, Charm, and will be deeply missed by his daughters, Suzanne Phelps of Bryan and Patricia McClenny of Nashville. He is also survived by his grandchildren, Melissa Allen (Kale) of London, Jennifer Faulkner (Darren) of Austin, Blair McClenny (Rie) of Los Angeles and Brooke McClenny of Nashville as well as his great-grandchildren Zachary Faulkner, Andrew Faulkner, Titus McClenny-Adair and Hugo McClenny.
Services will be held at First Baptist Church Mineola at 2 pm on Saturday, Jan. 27. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the First Baptist Church Mineola Building Fund.
