Terry Frank Norris

Terry Frank Norris, 90, of Rockford, IL, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, August 4, 2026. Born November 7, 1935, in Hammond, IN, the son of Marion and Helen (Carstensen) Norris. Terry married Barbara Johnson on June 2, 1956, and they shared 66 years of marriage before her passing in 2022.

A gifted aviation mechanic, businessman and lifelong problem-solver, Terry built his career around aviation and his extraordinary ability to understand how things worked. For more than 50 years, he owned and operated Aircraft Systems, Inc., where his skill, ingenuity and attention to detail earned the respect of many throughout the aviation community.

Terry was one of those rare people who could look at something, understand how it was made and figure out how to make it work. His hands were rarely idle, and his talents extended well beyond his profession. Throughout his life, he used his abilities not only to build a successful career, but also to create, repair and improve things for the people around him.

One of Terry's greatest gifts was his ability to teach. He possessed an incredible depth of knowledge and found great satisfaction in sharing what he knew and helping others learn. Whether mentoring someone in his field, helping solve a difficult problem or simply sharing something he had learned through a lifetime of experience, Terry was generous with his time, his knowledge and his experience.

Despite all he knew and accomplished, Terry remained humble. He treated everyone with kindness and respect, and his wisdom was something his family came to rely upon. His children knew they could turn to him for an answer, advice, a different perspective or simply the benefit of his experience. He never seemed too busy to help someone who needed him.

Terry also taught his children to appreciate the small pleasures that make a life rich: a good steak, picking cherries in Michigan, a day spent out on the lake, or getting lost in a history book. He was endlessly curious and a lifelong learner, but he also understood that some of life's best moments were often the simplest ones. Those lessons and the ordinary moments spent together became some of the gifts his children will carry with them always.

Terry will be remembered for his intelligence, craftsmanship and ingenuity, but even more for his wisdom, kindness, humility and generosity. His legacy lives not only in the things he built and the work he accomplished, but in the knowledge he shared, the people he helped and the lessons he passed on to his children and grandchildren.

Survived by children, Jeffrey Norris (Lida Lorbinenko), Deborah (Mitchell) Zehr, Terry Norris, Jr. (Katie Collopy-Norris), Jon Norris, and Heather (Christopher) Lawrence; grandchildren, Natalie, Lauren, Taylor, Rene, Connor, Jasmine, Madeleine, Keira and Alexis; seven great-grandchildren; sisters, Janel Norris and Susie Norris (Michael Puisis); and many nieces and nephews. Predeceased by his beloved wife, Barbara; parents, Marion and Helen Norris; sister, Ruth Cogdill; and brother, David Norris.

The family would like to extend a special thank you to Evgeniy and Byek for their care and companionship during the last nine months of Terry's life, as well as to the staff at The Summit of Uptown in Park Ridge for their care and support.

A celebration of Terry's life will take place on Saturday, September 26, at 11:00 a.m. at Stockholm Inn in Rockford, Illinois. Terry will be laid to rest with Barbara at New Milford Cemetery in Rockford.

Arrangements entrusted to Chicagoland Cremation Options in Schiller Park, Illinois.