EAST LIVERPOOL - Norris J. "Dude" Koerber of East Liverpool, died Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2013, at Heritage Valley Beaver following a lengthy illness. He was 85.
Born in Toronto on Nov. 3, 1927, he was a son of the late Norris W. and Alice Swift Koerber. A member of the East Liverpool High School Class of 1945, he was a WWII veteran of the U.S. Army where he was a surgical technician and received the World War II Victory Medal. He returned to East Liverpool and graduated from the Riggs-LaMar Barber School in Akron and worked in several area barber shops through the years.
He worked at the former Ferro Corporation until his retirement in 1990. Previously, he worked at Crucible Steel and Westinghouse. Along with his brothers, he owned and operated Koerber Brothers Tavern and barber shop in East Liverpool for over 30 years.
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He was a lifetime member and past commander of the American Legion Post No. 374, a member of the VFW Post No. 66, a lifetime member of the Elks Lodge 258, a past member of the Moose Lodge 122 and a member of the GMPPAW International Union.
A loyal member of the Tri-State Veterans Burial Group, he participated in hundreds of military funerals in this area. One of his proudest accomplishments came when he was a member of the V.F.W. Post 66 Drill Team from its start; they set an example for all Drill Teams to emulate. They won National Championships in 1958 in New York and 1959 in Los Angeles. These young men truly were the best of the best!
His wife, Edna G. Mountford Koerber, survives at home. The couple married June 24, 1949.
There are seven daughters: Jennifer Workman of Daytona Beach, Fla., Janice Dailey, and her husband Denny, of Covington, Ga., Joan Cooper, and her husband Bob, of East Liverpool, Grace Manypenny, and her husband Rick, of Chattanooga, Tenn., Kim Koerber of East Liverpool, Carolyn Marple, and her husband Scott, of Naperville, Ill., and Alisa Koerber, and her companion Jim, of East Liverpool; 16 grandchildren survive, along with 26 great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild, as well as two nieces and three nephews.
A granddaughter, Emily Foreman, preceded him in death along with two great-grandchildren, Serena Workman and Brandon Stryczny; three sisters, Evalena Plemons, Nina Myers and Alice Kendall; and two brothers, Sherry Koerber and Wilbert "Pig" Koerber.
Friends may visit Sunday afternoon and evening from 2-4 and 6-8 p.m. at the Dawson Funeral Home where the family will be present. A funeral service will be conducted at 11 a.m. Monday at the funeral home. There will be an Elks service at 7 p.m. Sunday.
Burial will be at Columbiana County Memorial Park where the Tri-State Veterans Burial Group will conduct full military honors.
Following the service, family and friends will gather at the Dawson Family Center for fellowship.
View Dude's memorial webpage and send condolences online at www.dawsonfuneralhome.com
