Obituary of Christopher Randall Norem

Christopher Randall Norem passed away March 14, 2020, in Portland, Maine. He was born May 4, 1983, to Richard Norem and Susan Koch in Spokane, Washington.  He also lived in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and Phoenix, Arizona.

 

Chris attended Capital High School in Olympia, and the Motorcycle Mechanics Institute in Phoenix. He worked at Northwest Harley Davidson in Olympia. He loved motorcycles, woodworking, the Seattle SuperSonics, looking fresh, reading, and golf.

 

The first thing anyone says when they mention Chris is that he had a great smile. His beaming, contagious smile had a way of lighting up a room and lifting everyone’s spirit. He had a rare gift for connecting with others and was the definition of charming. More than anything, Chris loved people and tried to make everyone he met happy. Whether this was by doing the silly walk of the main character in Blue’s Clues for his daughter when she was a toddler, by reading bedtime stories and being goofy with his boys, by sending his sister an unexpected and thoughtful gift from their childhood, or by planning a surprise retirement party for his mother. He was passionate about his love for his family and came alive when he spoke about them. He was a loving and involved father, who showed endless patience and warmth towards his children when they were young. His illness made it difficult for him to always be the father, friend, and family member that he desperately wanted to be, but he continued his fight to better himself until the end of his life. In his final months, he made a profound and lasting impact on those around him in his community in New Hampshire and Maine. He was training to become an electrician and was hopeful about the many new possibilities that were opening up to him. Many people have reached out since he passed to share stories of the love, care, encouragement and inspiration he provided to others.

 

Chris is survived by his daughter, Ryley; young sons, Max, Arlo and Henry; step-father and mother, Dave and Sue Koch; and sister, Kate Schueler.  He was preceded in death by his father, Richard S. Norem.

 

A celebration of Chris’ life will be held at a later date.

 

Memorial donations may be made in Chris’ name to the Plymouth Scholarship Fund, 446 Main St., Plymouth, NH 03264. 

 

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