Norman “Norm” Ray Blount, Jr., 68, passed away Thursday, August 8, 2024, in Henrico, Virginia. He is survived by his daughter, Emily Blount; father, Norman Ray Blount, Sr.; sisters, Terri Harman, Tracie Nunn, Melodie Melton (Hunter); niece, Rachel Harman; nephews, Taylor Melton and Joshua Melton; aunt, Lea Fields, and many cousins and life-long friends. He is predeceased by his mother, Doris Hill Blount; and nephew, Daniel Windsor Harman.
Born in Richmond, Virginia on his oldest sister’s first birthday, he grew up in a neighborhood full of boys his age, climbing trees, building forts, and playing ball. He learned to play the guitar and was famous within the family for tirelessly playing and singing, “We all live in a yellow submarine.”
With his parents and three sisters, he attended the local Baptist church every time the doors were opened. He played little league football, was in the Indian Guides with his father, and spent his summers at the local pool, his grandparents’ farm with cousins, and with family on vacations including the New York World’s Fair. He was a newspaper delivery boy for many years. He especially loved teasing his sisters mercilessly.
Norm was the family clown – always upbeat, telling jokes, being funny, trying to get us all to laugh. When he was around, you knew you were in for a good time. At his mother’s memorial service, he provided comic relief when sharing a memory of her helping him one rainy morning with his newspaper route.
In school, he had many friends, adventures, misadventures, and was elected vice president of his class one year. He worked as a page for the General Assembly in lieu of attending high school for a couple of years. The job was a great experience for him and afforded him his first dream car when he turned 16, a red Opel GT.
After school, he ventured out of state to work in various fields of employment – construction, hospitality, airlines. He lived in Vail, Colorado; Charlotte, North Carolina; Queens, New York; and, briefly, back to Virginia in Virginia Beach. Then he landed on the career he was meant to have, a caddie on the PGA circuit.
He relished being out on the fairways with his player fighting for a chance to win a tournament, of which there were a good amount. At one tournament, he and his player were teamed up with Tiger Woods and his caddie. He was sometimes featured a lot on TV broadcasts of the PGA Tours, much to the delight of his family and friends, whenever his player would be near the top of the leaderboard.
Norm made friends quickly among the caddies and players. They all had a lot of fun together. He had a witty personality and loved to needle the guys, just as he had his sisters (on whom he had honed his skills). It was his trademark. He spent decades traveling the world, seeing the sights, and walking the fairways with a bag on his shoulder.
His home base in those years was Tampa, Florida where he found love and helped to raise her daughter, Emily, eventually adopting her. Norm doted on Emily but raised her as strictly and lovingly as he had been raised. She was the light of his world. Nothing made him happier than when he was with her or speaking of her. He was a wonderful, caring father to her, and loved her deeply, dearly.
He loved his niece and nephews as much as his own. They each looked up to him as the “fun” one, the “cool” one in the family and always thoroughly enjoyed his visits. He shared his colorful life stories with them, some maybe not so age appropriate, and took care of some of them when they were sick while their parents were at work.
Upon retirement, Norm finally returned home to his first family who treasured his company once again. He spent his golden years with chums he had forged life-long friendships with, golfed with them and his nephews, enjoyed game nights and holidays with his sisters and their families, even inspired his niece to take off on adventures of her own, as he had.
Norm will be forever missed, loved, and remembered by all who knew him.
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