TUCSON, Arizona — Norman Tabor passed away suddenly at a Tucson facility after a five-month struggle with heart issues.
Norman was part of our family for more than 20 years. We will miss his stories that always led to another story that generally started with “the funny thing about that was.” He was a kind, gentle man who was friendly to everyone. He would visit with anyone who had the time. He fed the animals around his home, including the snakes. There wasn’t a person or animal that he met that he wasn’t friends with.
We want to take a minute to thank every person who sent him cards or asked about him before his passing. I read the cards to him and passed on the messages. It meant a lot to him that he meant so much to others. He was such a humble man.
He lived a simple life the last 20 years. Norman was born in Mount Vernon April 15, 1943, and lived there until joining the Army in his younger years. He then moved on to the Coast Guard and finally retired as a Purchasing Agent as a Civil Servant.
Norm had a major heart attack in the mid-90s and, as a result, his doctor instructed him that he needed to take it easy. After his heart surgery, he charted out places that would be good for him to be able to follow his passion, astronomy, and where he wouldn’t need to drive. He left Florida with a list of places to visit and a Greyhound Bus ticket. Benson, Arizona, was his first stop. He fell in love with Benson immediately and never left. Before his heart issues started last year, he loved to ride his bike anywhere it would take him. He often would go on long bike trips with his camping gear and leave for days. He always let us know where he was going and when to expect him back so we could look for him if something went wrong. Thankfully, he never had issues.
He was a VERY talented artist and we often suggested that he share his art with others via the Benson Museum, Cochise College, or anywhere else he could think of. He would use colored ink pens to draw very detailed landscapes. For Christmas he would make us cards with a drawing of some area on our family property and then give us a chance to guess which part of the property it was from.
Life without him will not be the same. He was a part of our family almost my son’s whole life. The stars will forever be our memorial to him.
He is survived only by his “adopted” family: Gary and Diane Maluf, Daniel and Natalie Sabin and Ben Meyer.
Interment is planned for March 6 at 10 a.m. at Veterans Cemetery in Sierra Vista.
To contact Natalie Sabin please call 520-780-6850. We would love to hear more about Norman and share memories that we made with him in the past 20 or so years. Thank you.
Submitted by Natalie Sabin.