James Davis Norris

Mr. James Davis Norris, 99, of Atkinson, NE and formerly of Hogansville, died peacefully Thursday, November 24, 2016, at Good Samaritan Society-Atkinson. He had resided there since early February, 2014, following a bout of severe pneumonia. James was the second son of the late William Wesley and Rose Bell Norris and was born June 4, 1917 in Hogansville, where he grew up. He was a lifelong member of Ebenezer Presbyterian Church in Hogansville and a 1934 graduate of Hogansville High School. He was honorably discharged from the U.S. Marine Corps in May, 1941 and was then employed in public transportation with Capitol Transportation Co. in Washington, DC, where his job was considered essential as the United States entered World War Two. He was later employed by John W. Swisher Co. in Jacksonville, FL until his father's death in 1961 when he returned to Hogansville and was employed by Uniroyal, Inc. until his retirement. In 1981, James moved to Denver, CO to live with his daughter, Nancy. They moved in 1994 to Holt County, NE, where Nancy had purchased some acreage in Amelia with an old home that they have gradually renovated. He was always creatively talented, inventive, and skilled in mechanical things. He taught himself guitar and then harmonica, and pursued his interest in photography, developing large photographs in his home studio. Survivors include his remaining sister, Mrs. John (Martha) Ashenfelder of Suffolk, VA; daughters, Nancy Rose Jellico of Amelia, NE, Joan Marie Reinacher of Pine Mountain; grandchildren, Carol Anne Jellico of Denver, CO, Kenneth A. Jellico of Littleton, CO, Leigh Wetherington of Medford, OR, Don Wetherington of Minneapolis, MN; twelve great-grandchildren; and seven great-great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his daughter, Mary Kathryn Long; granddaughter, Janice Jellico Stewart; brothers, William W. Norris, Jr., Charles R. Norris; and sisters, Mrs. Cleveland (Elizabeth) Miller and Mrs. Perry (Dorothy) Parker. A memorial service will be conducted at 11:30 a.m., Saturday, December 10, at the graveside in Myrtle Hill Cemetery in Hogansville, with the Reverend Harrison Cain officiating. The family will receive friends at the graveside. Claude A. McKibben and Sons Funeral Home of Hogansville is in charge of arrangements.