November 22, 2009
What's Inside:
Business owner's murder shakes sense of well-being
Few of us truly understand the ballistics of a bullet leaving the barrel of a gun. We know that it travels fast, more than 1,000 feet per second, and causes devastation to whatever it impacts. And we know that once you’ve squeezed the trigger, there’s no stopping a bullet. There are no “take backs,” no “do overs.”
The bullet that struck Larry Norris last week tore through his torso and caused enough damage to kill him, but also damaged our sense of well-being and security; because if this happened to Larry, it could happen to any of us.
Over the years, I’d visited Larry and his crew at Valvoline Express Care and, before that, the Quik Lube behind Wendy’s. I was always struck by how clean Larry’s shop was. Being someone who can’t check a dipstick without smearing oil on my shirt or pants, the cleanliness of a place where oil is meant to be spilled was impressive.
Inside would be Larry, punching a vehicle up on the computer to find out the correct oil and filter or running a debit card through the cash register. He worked among pictures of family and decorations that expressed his faith. He gave each customer a courteous greeting and a full-service oil change and handed out advice on how to keep your car running smoothly.
Most of us don’t crawl under our vehicles to look at the spaghetti of pipes and lines that must have some function. Larry did, and he would point out a worn fitting, a rusting muffler or a crumbling hose. The choice was always yours: You could heed his warning and have it fixed, or ignore him and deal with the bigger problems later.
If you had something that Larry couldn’t fix and you weren’t sure which shop to visit or which mechanic to trust, Larry would make a phone call on your behalf. He’d tell the mechanic what you needed fixed and suggested that maybe the other shop could fit you in that day. He‘d finish the call by telling the person that you and your wife were “good folks,” which served as a warning to the other guy to fix it right and not pad the bill.
Larry and I were both from small towns, so getting your oil changed was part maintenance, part social event. When the city shut down Eugene Field Road in front of his shop to replace the street, he worried about customers not being able to reach his shop. It bothered him so much that his ears, which were substantial, would turn red.
Larry’s murder stunned those of us who knew him, did business with him and attended church with him.
Even those who had never heard the name Larry Norris were horrified. This wasn’t just a body found in a lesser neighborhood. The terrible crime happened out in the open at one of the busiest intersections in St. Joseph.
These weren’t gang-bangers blowing holes in one another or career criminals settling an old score.
Larry was a husband, father and grandfather, a guy who worked hard for his money. He made his business a success by being fair and taking care of his customers. He led the life that made sense to most folks, and many of us could see ourselves lying in that back parking lot, our life ebbing away in a puddle of blood.
We’ll miss Larry and we hope that his family and friends will take some solace in that.
Because of who Larry was and the apparently senseless motivation behind the crime, St. Joseph’s first murder of the year turned out to be a tragic one.
We hold out hope that there’s not a second.
Steve Booher’s column runs on Monday. He can be reached at steveb@npgco.com.
This story has 10 comments. Click here to join in on the discussion.
Story Tools
Hyperlink Legend
E-mail story
Print friendly version
iPod friendly version
Today's Top Headlines
Characters set the stage for children’s programming
Kids choice of favorite shows varies
Health care bill clears Senate
It’s official: Santa’s here
Task force report stirs health debate
JOB SEARCH
RECENTLY DISCUSSED
H1N1 overhyped?
(2 comments)
Coleman, Intel join forces
(90 comments)
City wants grant to battle smoking
(80 comments)
Your letters Nov. 20, 2009
(16 comments)
More Popular Discussions
(2 comments)
Coleman, Intel join forces
(90 comments)
City wants grant to battle smoking
(80 comments)
Your letters Nov. 20, 2009
(16 comments)
Great column Steve....
Couldn't have said it better myself....he was a wonderful man who will be deeply missed...
It will happen again unfortunetly. There is an element to our society thst is violent and ignorant..put those together and they will do something stupid, and there is not much you can do about it til it happens.
With that being said, I am proud of the fact that this is the first shooting of the year, when 50 miles down the road..there is one sometimes 5 a day with people laying dead in the streets. Go into a store to get a pack of smokes, go to an ATM, park your car...and you are in danger of being robbed, shot or car jacked.
The differance..is here people will offer help in finding those responsible. They don't tolerate rolling gun battles, and gun fights. Neighbors see someone breaking in your house, they call the police and tell them what the criminals were driving and what they looked like. Down in KC it has become a joke...every article ends with "the police really need your help solving this crime...NO DESCRIPTION AVAILABLE.
The SJPD does an excellent job, and Judges and prosecuters here need to take note of how the revolving door, slap on the hand policy works down there.
this is a wonderful article, well written.
"Because of who Larry was and the apparently senseless motivation behind the crime, St. Joseph’s first murder of the year turned out to be a tragic one."
Let's not forget that every murder is a tragic one--each murder a senseless event that speaks volumes about who we have become and what we value (or don't value) as a society.
It just seems more tragic when the person who was murdered was someone with whom we can readily identify. Mr. Norris was a nice man and a good man--often difficult to find in the world today. Let's just hope that the murder of someone so decent helps us to realize what's important in our lives.
I'll second Steve's opinion of Mr. Norris. The only time in my life I bounced a check, it was one I wrote to Mr. Norris for an oil change. Before I could explain that my bank had made a mistake, Larry told me not to worry about it. He waived the $25 service fee for a bad check because I had "...always been a good customer." How many businessmen do that these days?
Clinton Thomas
St. Joseph News-Press
Such a sad story. He was a great guy!
The reason Mr. Norris's death seems so much more tragic is because he didn't make trouble. To take the other extreme: drug dealers may be mourned by their families, but society at large does not mourn them when they get killed. At least in part, this is because the dealer put him (or her)self in the line of fire by choosing a violent activity. Mr. Norris didn't.
Although I don't live in St.Joe I know Larry from my past.He was my Brother-n- law.He was a very caring ,loving and non judgmental man.Even after I divorced his Wife's brother.My heart goes out to Alice and the boys and their families.May God help them Through the hard days ahead.Rebecca (Flowers) Poston
Thank you for writing this article! It has been a horrific week and your article summed up what everyone who knew him was thinking! Really helps to read that someone else felt the same way! I was really getting tired of reading all the "factual" articles...this was SO different from past criminal acts and I'm glad you were able to put it into words!
And RK... you are so right... people are so fast to ridicule the St. Joe PD, mostly b/c there's NOT a murder every day like KC... They did a great job here & we all owe them a Thank you! It really did make one scared that this COULD happen in St. Joe... hopefully the fast action of the PD will prevent someone who was considering robbery... I was starting to think, "What has St. JOe come to?!? Do I want to raise my family here...", but I think this was a one time horrific incident and glad the PD was able to handle so quickly... definitely sleep better knowing they are in jail!