Norman Henry Suhr, beloved father and grandfather, passed away peacefully on January 5, 2025, at Foxdale Village in State College, PA, at age 94. Born June 13, 1930, in Chicago, IL, to Milda (Kruckenberg) and Louis Suhr, Norman became a State College resident in 1958 when he accepted a job as a Spectrometer Technician in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences at Penn State.
Having earned Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the University of Chicago, Norman taught a course in Applied Spectroscopy at Penn State in addition to his laboratory duties. One of the highlights of his career as a geochemist was analyzing moon rocks for NASA. He retired as Director of the Mineral Constitution Labs in 1990.
Norman was lucky to find love twice in his life. He met his first wife, Margaret Bekelya of Gary, IN, when they were students at the University of Chicago. They married October 3, 1953 and had four children. Margaret passed away in February 1986. While visiting Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, he met Greta Andrews of Cape Town, South Africa. They married November 6, 1987 in Cape Town and Norman’s family grew to include Greta’s two children.
After retirement, Norman and Greta loved to travel – with Norman visiting South Africa 22 times. They often traveled with Elderhostel, enjoying the educational component of guided group tours.
Norman also was an avid golfer. Two highlights were walking St. Andrews golf course in Scotland for the British Open and shooting a hole-in-one on July 21, 2006, on the 10th hole at his home course, the Elks Club, Boalsburg. He kept a set of left-handed clubs in Cape Town so he would always be ready to play a round. Fortunately, his health allowed him to golf into his late eighties.
Additionally, Norman was an excellent woodworker and clock maker. His children treasure items that he made for them. He also enjoyed reading, classical music, and watching PBS. At Foxdale Village, you would often find him playing poker or pool, or working in the woodshop. He was a member of the Elks Club and Grace Lutheran Church.
Norman is survived by his four children: Phillip Suhr (Deborah) of Fernandina Beach, FL; Marilyn Wood (Jerry) of Granger, IN; Jeffrey Suhr of Rockville, MD; Charles (Amy) Suhr of Mechanicsburg, PA; and two step-children in South Africa: Neil (Mahlohonolo) Andrews of Johannesburg and Alison Willetts of Cape Town. Norman was blessed with 19 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by Greta, his parents, and two brothers, Donald and Harold. He will be sorely missed but forever in our hearts.
Visitation will be from 10 a.m. until 11 a.m., Friday, January 31, 2025 at Koch Funeral Home, 2401 S. Atherton St., State College.
Memorial service will follow at 11 a.m. with Reverend Carolyn Hetrick officiating.
Memorial contributions can be made to the Givers of Care Fund at Foxdale Village in honor of the excellent care Norman received there. Contributions may be mailed to Foxdale Village, 500 East Marylyn Avenue | State College, PA 16801. Where applicable, please include the fund name on the “pay to” line, e.g., Foxdale Village Givers of Care Fund.
Online condolences may be entered at www.kochfuneralhome.com.