Norbert Woods

Born Norbert Edward Woods to Edward V. Woods and Josephine Woods Krygowski . "Norb" was a kind gentle soul who would give the shirt off his back to help anyone! Known to family and friends as "Red" growing up due to his hair color, he would always tease/scare his youngest cousin (Kathy) at family functions. His upbringing was financially difficult which drove Norb to get a paper route and run numbers for a local bookie at the age of 8. Norb enlisted into the Navy in Sept of 1959 to serve in the infancy stages of the Vietnam War. He would later complete two tours of duty through 1964. He obtained his G.E.D. and pursued other interests including Truck Driving. He met the love of his life (Sharon Rimkus) at a Shell gas station in Sept of 1964. They would later wed the following year in Sept of 1965 at Providence of God (Chicago, IL) That union produced three children (Brian, Daniel & Cynthia) His children were always his pride and joy. There wasn't anything he wouldn't do for them! He later became a grandpa to three boys: Kyan, Landen & Preston. There wasn't a birthday he ever missed and "The Boys" referred to them as "Gramps". Norb had several jobs throughout his life. As a young man, he delivered Furniture & Appliance for the now defunct Sears & Roebuck Corp & subsidiary Signal Delivery. After the deregulation of the trucking industry and a huge pool of truck drivers, Norb found his way to the Ranyer Company, as a order filler and backup truck driver for 20 years till their dillution in the year 2000. During those years at Rayner, Norb would often work overnights for Willet Transportation delivering goods for the Montgomery Ward Company. He also held part time jobs at various retail locations to make ends meet for the family. He later became an entrepreneur, by starting his own office cleaning service for various manufacturer's in the south suburbs. At 58 years old and an active member in the job market, Norb would later work full time at the Hertz Corp. as a Transporter of rental vehicles to either remote facilities or to wholesale auctions. Norb would continue working at Hertz for another 15 years until a nagging issue with his hips left him with no options but to retire. Norb spent the rest of years becoming a master of the Television Remote Controls! He had several of them to control the electronic equipment that was part of his arsenal. He was an adament fan of "The Military Channel", "History Channel" and loved reading National Geographic. Daytime "Garbage" Television was also a favorite of Norb's, whether Jerry Springer, Maury Povich (You're not the father) Judge Judy & The Peoples Court. Sunday's were always a sacred time when his "Bears" were playing! He would also watch the Black Hawks when they were televised! Norb was a 30 Year member of the "The Program", and served as a mentor/advisor to many during his time and proud to say he remained "clear headed" for the duration of his life!