Born February 3, 1937, Norman Joseph Bourgeois passed away at the age of 84 on April 21,2021 with family by his side.
Born in Churchpoint, Louisiana, he was one of eight children. At the age of three (3) Norman moved with his family to Vidor, Texas. The town he always called home, regardless where he hung his hat.
Everyone who knew him will miss his quick smile, oft told stories, card tricks, jokes and general entertainment. He was an avid hunter and fisherman, musically inclined, creative and intelligent. A dreamer who never settled for less than he wanted.
As a young man, he gave up singing alongside George Jones, for love. The Coast Guard sent him home with a Medical Honorable Discharge after he fell off the back of a military jeep.
He brushed himself off, looked to the stars, and holds patents to many inventions. By trade he was an Architectural Engineer (though he preferred the term inventor), who worked the Missile Sites of South Dakota, N. O. R. A. D. In Colorado, owned several businesses, and designed a part for the very first Space Shuttle with N. A. S. A.
But these were not what defined him. He was never content with mediocre and searched for a better, more efficient way for something to work.
He once designed a better
I. V. Pole, drafted the design, called his patent attorney and sold it to two doctors while waiting to be brought back for surgery!
He was so charismatic; he could give you the shirt off his back while talking you out of yours.
For those of us who loved him, he was our “Lagniappe”.
Join us in celebrating his life and Tall Tales, Tuesday May 4, 2021 at Benoit Louis Hall, 3085 Hwy 12 in Vidor from 4 to 7 pm.