Cliff Norris passed away on May 14, 2025. In addition to recent health challenges, Cliff fought a courageous battle with Antisynthetase Syndrome, a rare interstitial lung disease he had faced since 2015. He was 86 years old.

Born Elgin Clifford Norris II on October 11, 1938, in Akron, Ohio, Cliff was the son of Edwin Norris, an executive with Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co., and Harriet (née Winter), a devoted mother and homemaker.

Cliff's early education spanned grade school in Massachusetts and high school in Ohio and Indiana. He attended Indiana University, earning a B.S. in General Business Administration in 1960 and receiving an ROTC Army commission. While on active duty at Fort Benning, he completed Army Airborne School, later returning to Indiana University to earn an MBA in 1962.

Hardworking from an early age, Cliff fondly recalled being a Toledo Blade paperboy and working summer jobs for the Indiana State Highway system. He officially began his career as a stockbroker with Paine, Webber, Jackson & Curtiss in Detroit.

On the recommendation of friends, Cliff, his former wife Anna (Nichols), and their three young children relocated to Vero Beach, Florida in 1970. He joined Goodbody & Co., then the largest brokerage in Florida. He later accepted a position with a construction company, working hands-on as a carpenter, ironworker, and roofer to learn the trade. He studied at night to earn his real estate license and took a sales position with R.V. Johnson in Stuart, selling properties in The Yacht and Country Club of Stuart and Mariner Cay.

In 1974, during an economic recession, Cliff founded Norris & Company with savings and a small loan. He successfully remarketed four struggling residential developments - Pinetree Village, Vera Cruz, Pines of Vero, and Treasure Coast Isles - and expanded into property management and leasing. His portfolio included retail and residential properties in Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, West Palm Beach, and multiple local office buildings.

In partnership with others, Cliff developed neighborhood shopping centers in Fort Pierce and Vero Beach. Under his leadership, Norris & Company's residential brokerage division thrived and was sold in 1989 to four of his associates. Cliff retained and managed the property management and development aspects of his business until his full retirement in 2015.

Cliff earned two professional designations from the National Association of Realtors: Certified Property Manager (CPM) and Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM). He served on both the City of Vero Beach Utilities Commission and Planning and Zoning Board. He was involved in the community, serving on boards for the United Way, Riverside Theatre, and the Riverside Theatre Endowment Fund.

A man of many interests, he loved golfing, skiing, and earned his pilot's license. He was a proud member of Vero Beach Country Club and a passionate supporter of Vero Beach High School football, rarely missing a game. He will be remembered for his kind demeanor, his storytelling, and sense of humor.

Over the years, his Golden Retrievers, Curry, Jack, and Murphy, were constant companions at work and home. For over 70 years, Cliff remained steadfast friends with his high school and college pal Jim Fulwider (Patty), and the two men shared laughs during their phone calls three times a week.

Cliff's greatest joy was being Grandpa to 11 beloved grandchildren: John, Cole, and Bennett O'Brien; Calli and Ford Norris; Will, Lincoln, and Hank Durfee; and Chandler, Matthew and Bryce Robertson. Over the years, he cherished watching grandchildren play baseball, football, lacrosse, and ice hockey, watching theater videos, and, most of all, entertaining them with unforgettable stories of his youth. He loved hearing them laugh and say "Grandpa, is that true?"

Cliff will be missed by his grandchildren, his loving wife Penny, children Clifford Norris Jr. (Julie), Meg Norris, Lindsay Durfee (Barry), and stepdaughter Angela Robertson (Scott). One of six brothers, he is also survived by siblings Philip Norris and John Norris (Mary Ann), their extended families, and his dear friends Mike and Mary Anne Garavaglia.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Cliff's memory may be made to Vero Beach Dog Park, 505 Beachland Blvd., Suite 1-124, Vero Beach, Florida 32963.