William E. Norrington

October 12, 1917 - October 24, 2010

William E. Norrington died peacefully at his home in Los Alamitos on October 24, 2010. Bill, age 93, was born in North Hollywood in 1917. He was the captain of the 1939 UCLA soccer team, and graduated with a major in Astronomy. He then enlisted in the U.S. Navy’s “90 Day Wonder” program, designed to train graduates as naval officers. Bill met his wife-to-be, Zelma Ruth Lillard, while in training in Chicago, where they were married in 1942.

Bill was in the submarine service through WWII; he completed four war patrols on the USS S-30 as a junior officer and seven in the Pacific on the USS Rasher as navigation and executive officer. He received the Navy’s Silver Star for service on the Rasher, credited with sinking the second-most enemy tonnage in WWII. After the war, Bill served on the USS Cusk, then commanded the submarine Guavina. He served as captain of the destroyer Maddox during the Korean conflict, and of the oiler Ashtabula during the Vietnam War. Upon retiring as a Senior Naval Captain in 1964, Bill taught math at San Pedro High School for 13 years, then combined his love of the piano and craftsmanship by working at, and later helping to run, the non-profit American Institute of Piano Technology in L.A. He was passionate about camping and fishing in the Sierra mountains throughout his life.

Bill and Zelma traveled together after his retirement, enjoying visiting the British Isles, Europe, the Mediterranean, Japan and Australia and many other places. He continued his work rebuilding grand pianos as well as numerous crafts projects, and was always there with a helping hand for his family, friends and neighbors.

Bill is survived by Zelma, his beloved wife for 68 years, his son Bill and daughters Linda and Gael, and grandchildren David, Kevin, Caitlin, Forrest, Jonathan, Jeffrey, and Ryan

Per his wishes, Bill’s ashes will be scattered at sea. A service celebrating his life will be held November 13th at 2:00pm at Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church, 11600 Los Alamitos Blvd, Los Alamitos, CA.

William E. Norrington: Explorer and Navigator

October 11, 1917- October 24 2010

Among the material that Bill organized relating to his last wishes was some of his favorite sheet music. To his family’s bemusement, “Tumbling Tumbleweeds” was included. In case you don’t remember this 1930s oldie, the refrain is “Drifting along with the tumbling tumbleweeds.” What makes this ironic is that Bill was anything but a drifter in life.

Bill was a captain - an explorer and a navigator - both literally and figuratively. He loved exploring and fishing in remote parts of the Sierras, he majored in Astronomy at UCLA and captained the UCLA soccer team in 1939, he was the navigation officer on a submarine in the Pacific during WWII, he had command of a destroyer and an oiler during the Korean and Vietnamese wars, he taught high school math for 13 years after leaving the Navy as a Senior Captain, and he joined and eventually became the head of a non-profit piano restoration school during his retirement years. More personally, he navigated 68 years of a happy marriage with his wife Zelma, and he fathered 3 children and tried, more or less successfully, to impart to them a sense of Christian values, along with his love of the outdoors and his great sense of humor.

On one of his last camping trips in the Sierras, Bill, in his late 70s, and his son decided to take a “shortcut” and nearly got killed trying to traverse a washed out trail on a cliff side, hundreds of feet over a river below. They made it by crawling on their bellies, holding hands, and dragging their fishing gear behind. As they sat there catching their breath, they both apologized to each other for taking such a huge risk, yet grinning like idiots because they’d done it and survived. Bill broke the spell by saying, “you know what they used to call me in high school? Crazy Bill.”

The above “rite of passage” is mentioned because Bill was much more than an officer on a U.S. submarine that sunk the second highest tonnage in WWII and the recipient of numerous military decorations, including the Silver Medal. He was even more than an exemplary husband, father, and role model. Bill did have a “tumbleweed” side. He was fond of telling his wife that he was never lost when driving, just “exploring”; he delighted his young children by giving presents that made them shriek in mock horror and glee, like containers of candy that released a coiled paper snake and made a loud noise when opened; and he could spin a good fishing yarn with the best of them, and he often did. And that’s just for starters.

Bill touched many lives with his heroism, his devotion, his kindness, and his sense of humor. Most of all, he inspired all who knew him with his love of exploration.

“Cares of the past are behind / nowhere to go, but I’ll find / just where the trail will wind, / Drifting along with the tumbling tumbleweeds. / I know when night has gone / that a new world’s born at dawn. / I’ll keep rolling along; / deep in my heart is a song…”

If you would care to share Bill’s song and/or add your own counterpoint, a celebration of Bill’s life will be held on Saturday afternoon, November 13th, 2:00pm, at the Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church, 11600 Los Alamitos Blvd.; Los Alamitos, CA 90720; ph 562-493-2553 You are also welcome to visit the web page of Westminster Memorial Park, www.westminstermemorial.net, where you may add personal notes, memories, and pictures and share them with others.