Pearl Virginia Norris of St. James, Missouri passed away Thursday, July 17, 2014 at the Rolla Health and Rehabilitation Center at the age of 85.

Pearl was born on February 2, 1929 in Steelville, Missouri to the late Frank and Mary (Hatcher) Happel.

Miss Pearl Virginia Happel was united in marriage to Mr. Louis Gene Norris on November 17, 1958 and this union was blessed with five children. They had just celebrated their 18th wedding anniversary before his death in December of 1976. She was a member of the Flag Springs Church, where she and Louis were baptized together.

Pearl was employed as a CNA for the Country Valley Nursing home, where she spent 24 years before she retired. She loved to garden, she enjoyed her flowers and always had a bountiful vegetable garden that she proudly shared with family, friends, and neighbors. Her hobbies included, cooking, yard sales, and Missouri lottery scratch off tickets, but the biggest joy she had was the love of her family; she was a loving and devoted mother, grandmother, sister, aunt and friend to all and will be greatly missed by all that knew and loved her.

Pearl is survived by her children, Terry Hughes and husband Gary, of St. James, MO, Tracy Norris and wife Samra, of St. James, MO, and Leroy McKinnon and wife Sylvia, of St. James, MO; Son-in-law, Frank Skyles, of St. James, MO; grandchildren, Lori Hanks, Louis Chilton, Cody Chilton, Lisa Chilton, Travis Norris, Meghan Norris, Clay McKinnon, Brian McKinnon, Gary Hughes Jr., Stephanie Moyer, Jennifer Fels, Dorothy Skyles, Elizabeth Skyles, Dale Skyles, Donald Skyles, and Jimmy Skyles;

sisters, Norma Russow, of Carthridge, MO, Lola Bartle and husband Jack, of St. James, MO, Mary Martin, of Rolla, MO, and Pauline Adams, of Joplin, MO; brothers, Louis Happel and wife Mary, of Cuba, MO, and Kenneth Happel and wife Frances, of St. James, MO; a host of great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews, extended family and friends. In addition to her parents and husband Louis, she was also preceded in death by daughters, Virginia Sue McKinnon, and Brenda Kay Skyles; son, Loyd "Fuzzy" Chilton; brother, Charles Happel; and sisters, Erma Thurman, and Catherine Gushwa.

Funeral services for Pearl Virginia Norris will be held Monday, July 21, 2014 at 1:00pm at the St. James Chapel of the James & Gahr Mortuary with Pastor Allen Smith officiating. Interment will be at the Asher Cemetery with Clay McKinnon, Brian McKinnon, Travis Norris, Dalton Hanks, Dylan Hanks, and Donald Skyles serving as pallbearers. Honorary pallbearers are Wyatt McKinnon and Braxton Ahart.