Gary A. Norton

Gary was born January 16, 1953 to Philip and Irene (Milbourn) Norton in Fort Meade, Maryland where his father was stationed nearby in the Army. At 4 months old, the family moved back to Kansas where his parents had grown up. Gary was the oldest of four boys and the family moved many times during Gary’s younger years due to his father’s career in sales. He attended Burlington High School for his junior and senior year, graduating in 1971. During his senior year, his baseball team placed second at the state tournament. Also, in his senior year, Gary was Burlington’s lone representative at state for the wrestling tournament and he was selected to the Iowa High School All-State Chorus.

After high school, Gary enrolled at Iowa State University as an engineering student and walked on to the national champion ISU wrestling team. By his junior year he earned a partial scholarship and a wrestling letter, but opted not to wrestle his senior year due to the multiple injuries which sidelined him and to focus on his studies in preparation for law school. During Gary’s sophomore year he changed his major from engineering to finance, and it was in his business classes where he met his future wife, Barbara Hallman, whom he married on August 23, 1975. He often credited her with helping him graduate by making his lunches, typing his papers, and helping him navigate the ISU campus while on crutches after a wrestling injury.

After college, Gary and Barb remained in Ames for six years where he worked for Ames Laboratory as an assistant chief accountant. He had always planned to go to law school, so he followed his dream and moved the family to Topeka, Kansas where he obtained his law degree from Washburn University in 1984. After law school, the family moved to West Des Moines, Iowa where he was employed as a bankruptcy clerk with the Honorable Judge Richard F. Stageman.

In 1985, Gary joined the law firm that is currently known as Whitfield and Eddy, PLC where he practiced law for 32 years. He was nationally known for his bankruptcy expertise and was a founder of the All-Iowa Bankruptcy Conference. He was consistently included in the publication “The Best Lawyers in America” in the area of bankruptcy and creditor-debtor rights. In 2017, he joined the legal team at Farm Credit Services of America as associate general counsel.

Gary was an active member of the West Des Moines United Methodist Church for many years. He served the church as a choir member, a Sunday School teacher for both sixth graders and adults, a cast member and director of the Last Supper Drama, a committee member, legal counsel, volunteer and was most recently the Church Council Chair. He is probably most remembered for singing the Easter song “Watch the Lamb” which he shared with such meaning. He sang at many weddings and funerals and touched many lives in doing so.

Gary loved sports of all kinds and was a faithful fan of the ISU Cyclones, the Kansas City Royals and the Kansas City Chiefs. His favorite pastime was golfing, but he also enjoyed gardening, working in his yard, using his craftsman skills to build and improve things, traveling, music of all kinds, and spending time with his family. Whether it was reading to his children, attending their extra-curricular activities, coaching their baseball or soccer teams, teaching them how to play golf, or planning memorable vacations, he always put family first. He and his wife hosted the holiday family gatherings for his immediate family and always welcomed Barb’s family for events as well.

On August 22, 2019, Gary was diagnosed with ALS and subsequently retired from Farm Credit Services of America. The disease progressed quite rapidly but Gary always faced each new challenge with bravery and a will to fight the disease. He loved his family and wanted to be with his young grandchildren, who range in age from three to seven months.

Left to cherish his memory are his wife of 45 years, Barbara, two sons, Joseph (Jaime) Norton of Ottumwa, Iowa and Benjamin (Alicea) Norton of Omaha, Nebraska and their two children Ada and Liam, and daughter, Jillian (Andrew) Sommer of West Des Moines, Iowa and their two children Ethan and Hadley. He is also survived by his brothers, Steven (Joyce) of Ankeny, Iowa, Donald Norton of West Des Moines, Iowa and David (Janet) Norton of West Des Moines, Iowa, several nieces and nephews, several aunts and many cousins. He has a large contingent of in-law families who will cherish his memory as well. Gary was preceded in death by his parents.

Visitation will be held at McLaren's Chapel on Friday, June 18, 2021 from 5:00-7:00 PM. Memorial Services will be held at West Des Moines United Methodist Church on Saturday, June 19, 2021 at 11:00 AM.

Memorial contributions can be made to either the West Des Moines United Methodist Church or the ALS Association Iowa Chapter.