John D Norsworthy
Rank: MSgt
Entered Into Eternal Rest
2007-06-24
Anchorage Daily News June 27, 2007
Anchorage resident John Norsworthy, 64, died June 24, 2007, at home in Anchorage. A celebration of John's life was at the Riverside Community Church in Eagle River. The Rev. Ed Gardner officated.
John was born April 10, 1943, in Kirbyville, Texas, to Isiah and Ruth (Bean) Norsworthy. He earned two bachelor's degrees from University of Alaska Anchorage and Wayland Baptist University. He married the love of his life, Karen, on Oct. 12, 2005, in Belize on the Southwater Caye at sunset. John came to Alaska in 1969 with the Air Force at Elmendorf Air Force Base. He later worked as an air traffic controller in Anchorage (1973-1981). He joined the Anchorage Police Department in April 1985, and was selected as the sergeant in charge of the Mountain View Community Policing Unit on Sept. 25, 1995. The Alaska Legislature honored the Mountain View Community Policing Unit on Feb. 2, 1996. This unit also received a unit award from the chief of police in January 1997. John was promoted to lieutenant in patrol on July 30, 2003, and as a detective, was assigned as commander of the Special Victims Unit, Crimes Against Children and Theft Unit on Nov. 24, 2003. John loved to travel the world with his wife, Karen. He enjoyed cooking, and making and tasting wine. He had a passion for fitness and being active. He worked out at the gym, boxed, biked and ran and jogged regularly. He was a salmon commerical fisherman for over 30 years in Bristol Bay. He loved being on his boat and fishing every July. It didn't matter if the fishing was good or not, he simply enjoyed the water, the work and the beauty. His family wrote: "John was a respected and significant member of the Anchorage Police Department. "John was an honorable man. Everyone who met him instantly liked him. He was always positive, seeing the good in everything and everyone. He enjoyed a good joke and loved to play practical jokes on his friends. He loved to laugh, and he had the best smile. "He will be sorely missed."
He is survived by his wife, Karen; and their dog, Rosie; his mother, Ruth Norsworthy of Kirbyville; siblings and their spouses, Beverly Adjei of Houston, Texas, Ethel and Ed Shelton of Texas City, Texas, Rodney and Terrya Norsworthy of Jasper, Texas, Bryan and Benita Norsworthy of Houston, and Marilyn and Frank Taylor of Austin, Texas; children and their spouses, John and Sylvia Norsworthy Jr. of Maricopa, Ariz., Reginald and LaToya Norsworthy of Florence, Ky., and BreAnne and William Estelle of Landover, Md.; grandchildren, John III, SylviaJohna, Jovon, Brittney, Alyissa, William and Christina; and numerous aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations in John's name may be made to: M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, P.O. Box 4486, Houston, TX 77210; 1-800-525-5841; www.mdanderson.org/gifts. Visit the online memorial at legacy.com
