Norris Harms

    Norris Cleo Harms died Aug. 20, 2017. He was born July 12, 1936 (Julius Caesar’s birthday!), to Gade and Gladys Harms and grew up with four sisters and many cousins all around him. He believed he was named for a Nebraska senator who worked to bring electricity to rural areas.
    Norris was born and grew up working on a farm east of Haxtun. He rode his horse to grade school at Philorado and later attended Haxtun schools, where he graduated from high school as valedictorian in 1954. Norris attended college at McPherson in Kansas, where he met his bride, Elizabeth Ann Schnaithman, who grew up on a farm outside Garber, Oklahoma.
    After their marriage, Norris and Ann built their dream house across the street from the beautiful park in Haxtun and had three kids, Sheri, Brent and Laurita. Norris farmed, raised hogs and taught science at Haxtun High School. He was always interested in science and was awarded a National Science Foundation grant to attend Texas A&M in College Station, Texas, where he finished his master’s degree in science education.
    After Texas, the family moved to Boulder, where Norris continued school and later achieved his doctorate degree in educational research from the University of Colorado, while Ann earned her master’s degree in elementary education.
    During their time in Boulder, Norris and his family enjoyed having barbecues, drives and camping up in the mountains. Norris also enjoyed music concerts and dance performances. He traveled while consulting and loved New Orleans, especially for Dixieland jazz at Preservation Hall. Norris loved music all his live.
    He continued his fellowship as a professor at CU in the lab of educational research and worked on bettering elementary school science curriculum. One of his favorite projects was developing “Project Synthesis,” where he invited top scientists in several fields — biology, chemistry, physics and more — from all over the country to work together to make recommendations to the National Science Foundation about how to help teachers teach students more effectively.
    Norris worked as a science education consultant for school districts throughout the U.S. He wrote the entry-level test questions in chemistry, biology and physics for the National Board of Chiropractic Services and worked at the Space Foundation.
    He developed “Steps in Science,” writing an entire curriculum for elementary grades one through three, with a detailed “real-life” guide to help inexperienced teachers manage a classroom full of kids conducting experiments. A unique component of this series was that the objects required to perform experiments were common, everyday items found around the house or office, as opposed to having to reorder finite supplies.
    Norris and Ann returned to live on the family farm east of Haxtun in 1994 to take care of his mom, where they all enjoyed visits from children and grandchildren. Norris wanted to make sure that Haxtun could keep the hospital open and have good, quality health care.
    He served on the hospital board for several years and felt strongly about the work for the hospital. Norris was also a member of the Vision Committee, whose purpose was to find ways to bring more industry to the Town of Haxtun and to provide affordable housing.
    Norris enjoyed watching the birds while he drank his coffee with Ann, sunsets, always keeping an eye on the weather and watching the farming operations change with the seasons. In July, Norris and Ann celebrated 60 years of marriage.
    Norris personally enjoyed the benefits of his hometown health care when he entered the Haxtun nursing home in January 2017 and stayed until his death on Aug. 20.
    Norris is survived by loving family: his wife, Ann Harms of Haxtun; son, Brent Harms and wife LesLey of Haxtun; and daughters, Sheri Harms and friend Bruce Bingaman and Laurita Harms and husband Mark Powers, all of Boulder. Norris was also lucky enough to have grandchildren to love: Ian Harms, Roy Benningfield, Emily Kyle, Heather Hanson, Curtis Harms, and Robert and Rhonda Sterkel; and great-grandchildren, Paeton Harms, Darias Harms, Zaida Harms and Issac Kyle. Norris is also survived by two sisters, Edith Evans of Sterling and Carolyn Anderson of Green Valley, Arizona; two sisters-in-law, LaVona Schnaithman and Carolyn Schnaithman of Enid, Oklahoma; and many nieces and nephews.
    A memorial service was scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 7, at 11 a.m. at Haxtun United Methodist Church.
    Memorials may be made to Haxtun Hospital Foundation or Sierra Leone Scholarship Fund, c/o Haxtun United Methodist Church.