Obituary of Norman Charles Reid

Norman Charles Reid On the morning of July 20, 2015, Norm passed away in his sleep in his favorite chair at his family home in Crystal, Minnesota, with his wife Liz close at hand. He was 84. Born October 26, 1930, in Rochester, Minnesota, to parents Norman James and Ann Reid, Norm Jr. (also known as Buddy) was an inquisitive child who loved tinkering with radios, gadgets and cars and later worked part time as a local sports reporter at the Rochester Post-Bulletin. Norm attended the University of Minnesota where he met his future wife and love of his life, Liz. At the U of M, he was an accomplished studio arts and Bachelor of Sciences graduate, and went on to become a design engineer for firms such as Premiere Plastics and Pako Corp., with numerous patents to his name. An avid outdoorsman for whom the north woods was his cathedral, Norm was never happier than when he was exploring the Boundary Waters Canoe Area with family and friends. Whether he was building toys and drawing cartoon dogs for his seven kids, or listening to offbeat comedy records with them, Norm was an out-of-the-box creative dad. Possessor of an impish sense of humor, a boisterous laugh and a keen intelligence, he was an oversized personality and a relentless storyteller who could fill any room he was in. Norm is survived by his loving wife of 62 years, Elizabeth Ruth (nee Croal), his brother Thomas and sister Shirley, his children Michael, Jeffrey, Nancy, Robert, Thomas, Charles and Wendy and 8 grandchildren. A memorial service for Norm will be held at Cremation Society of Minnesota, 4343 Nicollet Ave S., Minneapolis 55409. Saturday, August 1st; Visitation: Noon; Service 1:00 PM; Reception to follow Service. Memorials to Rakhma, Inc.