Virgil Norris Buie

TYLER — Funeral services for Virgil Norris Buie, 96, of Tyler, Texas, will be held at 2 p.m. Thursday, February 20, 2025, at Stewart Family Funeral Home at 7525 Old Jacksonville Highway in Tyler, with Pastor Ed Wandling officiating. A visitation will be held one hour prior. A private burial will follow at Cathedral In The Pines in Tyler.

Norris passed away peacefully February 13, 2025, at The Hospice of East Texas, due to complications associated with an eight-year battle with Parkinson’s. He was born November 19, 1928, in the Bascom community near Tyler to Jason Alpheus Buie and Ella Mae Lewis Buie. Norris married Nelda Jo Mallory on April 3, 1958, and they shared 61 wonderful years together. Norris was preceded in death by his wife, his parents, brother and sister-in-law, Rudy and Juanice Buie, of Midland, sisters-in-law Melvina Buie and Kathy Mallory, of Tyler, and brother-in-law, Troy Harris, of Houston.

Norris was a faithful member of Pleasant Retreat Methodist Church in Tyler, where he taught Sunday School and was a beloved member of the congregation. He was active in the Sharon Shrine Motor Corp for three decades and The Gideons International and supported many charities. Norris had a successful career at King Chevrolet in downtown Tyler, starting out in the paint shop in 1950 before taking over as body shop manager in 1959 until his retirement in 1994. There wasn’t anything he couldn’t fix, as his brothers and sons could attest.

He received a golf cart as a retirement gift, and quickly turned his attention to the golf course where he played three times a week at Oak Hurst/Peach Tree in Bullard, Texas, swinging a club and draining putts well into his 90s. When Norris was diagnosed with Parkinson’s, he was told by his doctor that he could outrun the disease with his active lifestyle, and that’s exactly what he did by playing golf. He enjoyed his independence and after Nelda passed away in 2019, Norris continued living at home by himself and was able to celebrate his 96th birthday at home with family.

Norris attended Tyler schools, threw a paper route on his bicycle with his brother, Herbert, worked in the Houston Ship Channel one summer at age 15, and later raced cars and motorcycles quite successfully. A great storyteller, Norris remarked that when he first started racing he could make more money at the track on weekends than he could in a week working in the paint shop and the motorcycle shop.

He enjoyed watching westerns and sports, especially golf and, of course, the Dallas Cowboys, and he read his Bible every morning. He loved his family and friends and showed what a devoted Papaw he would be, when near the age of 77, a granddaughter was born. Marissa lit up his world, and him, hers. He became her dedicated subject for videos, pictures, dance recitals, fun, and so much joy and laughter. Another joy for Norris and his family was the lake house at Lake Tyler where they spent many a weekend over the years.

Norris is survived by sons Jeff, Joe and his wife Camille, and granddaughter Marissa Buie, brother Herbert Buie, of Tyler, sister LaVonne Harris of Houston, brothers-in-law Gary and Leroy (and wife Shirley) Mallory, all of Tyler, granddaughter Malori (and husband Dan) Hunter and their children, of Dallas, and grandson Cody (and wife Maggie) Wofford and their children, of Tyler. Norris also leaves behind many nieces, nephews and cousins.

A special thank you to all the nurses and staff at Christus Trinity Mother Frances and their rehabilitation hospital; Meadow Lake Skilled Nursing, and The Hospice of East Texas. To Alma Sanchez, a special caregiver to Norris, you are loved and appreciated.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Pleasant Retreat Methodist Church, 417 County Road 1143, Tyler, TX, 75704; or The Hospice of East Texas, 4111 University Blvd., Tyler, TX, 75701.