Lee Norris II's Obituary
Joe Lee Norris II, 68, a lifelong resident of Fort Myers, FL, passed away peacefully at home on Thursday, March 27, 2025, after a courageous seven-year battle with metastasized prostate cancer. Lee was born December 15, 1956, in Fort Myers, FL, to Joe and Iva (Lanier) Norris.
Lee graduated from Fort Myers High School, proud class of 1974. He attended East Tennessee State University on a baseball scholarship for a year before transferring to Florida State University, where he earned a degree in real estate and insurance in 1978. He began his career in real estate appraisal working for Richard P. Webster, Inc., then Stewart and Stephan, before co-founding Carlson, Norris and Associates in 1985 with his brother-in-law, Bill Carlson.
Always striving for excellence in his field, Lee earned the MAI, SRA, and SRPA designations and became a state-certified real estate appraiser and a Florida Real Estate Broker. He served as a past chapter president of the Southwest Florida Chapter of the Appraisal Institute and the Society of Real Estate Appraisers. Lee was deeply committed to training and mentoring his staff, genuinely caring about their success.
Lee’s greatest treasures in life were his family: his wife of 37 years, Deborah Orthman Norris of Fort Myers, FL; his two children, Jessica Norris and her husband, Elliot Greer, of New York City, NY, and Stephanie Norris of Tampa, FL; his aunt and uncle, Molly and Bob Benham; his sister, Jo Carlson of Fort Myers, FL; his niece, Shannon Stone; and his nephew, Beau Carlson, as well as many extended family members and friends. Greeting Lee in heaven were his parents; his brother, Berkley Norris; his brother-in-law, Bill Carlson; his in-laws, Thomas and Dorothy Orthman; and a gang of close friends.
Lee’s passion was playing sports, specifically baseball and football. His parents often joked about moving his bed to the Little League field. He played Roy Hobbs until he found an even greater passion: coaching. Coach Lee devoted countless hours to baseball and softball at the Greater Fort Myers Little League, All-Stars, and Fillies Fast Pitch Travel. He helped develop many great athletes and gifted his players with the skills & confidence to play their best. With a dedicated team of parents, they had fun watching their girls win tournaments, even making it to the State Tournament one year. He loved each player like they were his own.
In 2023, the League honored Lee’s 50+ years of support as a player, coach, and Vice President of softball by inducting him into the Hall of Fame and naming Carlson-Norris Field after Lee and Bill.
Stephanie and Lee made wonderful memories through softball—first when he coached her teams, then as he supported her playing at FMHS and in college. Lee also loved watching Jessica as an FMHS cheerleader for four years. One of his favorite experiences was leading the Fort Myers chain gang for 15 years. He was inducted into the Emerald Club for contributions to Green Wave Football.
In addition to Lee’s coaching commitments, he served as a game leader at church on Wednesday nights, where he brought the fun with rolling bed races, bronco rides, bonfires, and even making a haunted house! He was a master of inventive VBS games and hand-painted cardboard creations for Jess and Steph’s home birthday parties. He loved to transform into Yoyo the Clown on Halloween, a prince for a princess party, or a pirate for a treasure hunt birthday party. Lee went all out for kids and made the children’s ministry a joy for all.
One of the Norris family's priorities was traveling for family vacations. An annual favorite was the Smoky Mountains in Tennessee, but they also explored New England, New York, Alaska,
the Bahamas & Mexico on Disney Cruises, the California coast, Canada, Montana, Vermont, Germany, and the big Italian vacation where he left his appendix in Rome. Vacations are times when a family is its truest self. Lee believed there is no better investment.
Lee's legacy lives on in his investment in relationships, his genuineness, his silliness, his kindness, and his unwavering willingness to go the extra mile. He will be deeply missed by his family, friends, players, and all whose lives he touched.
A Celebration of Life will be held on Sunday, April 6, 2025, at 3:00 PM at Citygate Ministries, 1735 Jackson Street, Fort Myers, FL 33901. The family invites everyone to a reception after the service at the church. A private burial will be scheduled at a later date. For those unable to attend, a live stream is available at http://www.youtube.com/citygatetv
For those wishing to honor Lee’s memory, he would have encouraged everyone to prioritize their health by scheduling regular check-ups and screenings for early cancer detection.
A memorial gift to invest in children may be directed to Citygate Ministries Children’s Ministry, 1735 Jackson Street, Fort Myers, FL 33901, or to Fort Myers American Youth Baseball and Softball, 29 George Town, Fort Myers, FL 33919 (for softball scholarships).
The family is deeply grateful for the compassionate care of Hope Hospice and the overwhelming support of friends during these final months. Thank you!
Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to Fort Myers Memorial Gardens, Fort Myers, FL.
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