Reed Aaron Norman

On January 27, 2021, Reed Aaron Norman of Marble Falls, Texas passed away at the young age of 28.

Reed Aaron was born on April 30, 1992 in Llano, Texas to Reed and Jeri Norman. He was the youngest of four children, and the adored and doted-upon only son. His friends and family knew him by his middle name: Aaron (and ‘EE,’ ‘A-A-ron,’ and ‘Man of Norms,’ among other nicknames).

Aaron was a Rainbow Baby, and his arrival as the only boy in the family was met with much excitement. He was born into the arms of a mother who finally got her baby boy—her “favorite boy in the whole world,” into the heart of a father who gave him his first name, and into the arms of three sisters who couldn’t wait to play dress up with him. Indeed, Aaron wore a tutu and wore it quite well.

In the year of his birth in 1992, a few notable things were happening in the world: Bill Clinton would become 42nd President of the United States; the LA riots occurred; Whitney Houston set a record with “I Will Always Love You”; MTV premiered The Real World; Kris Kross decided to wear their clothes backwards; popular movies like Aladdin, Sister Act, and Basic Instinct were released; and, most importantly in Aaron’s world, Barney & Friends premiered on PBS a mere 24 days before his birth.

We can only assume that Aaron’s love for music started with Barney. He never told us otherwise, so that’s what we’re going with. Barney and his friends taught Aaron how to be responsible: he picked up his room while hyping up to “The Clean Up Song.” His beloved Barney toy was always under one arm, teaching him how to be tender and kind as it sang,“I Love You, You Love Me,” until the batteries eventually—to the relief of our family—droned out.

As a child, Aaron was multi-talented. He stayed on the honor roll and was praised by his teachers for his kindness towards others. He played Little League baseball for many years and did very well, but he was most fond of swinging a golf club. He followed in the steps of his papa and his dad, quickly teaching himself how to beautifully and effortlessly drive a golf ball down the fairway. He played varsity golf for Marble Falls and also played on the West Texas Junior Champions Tour.

As Aaron reached adolescence, his interests turned towards music. He set aside his trumpet from middle school and began to pick out songs by ear on the family piano. Next, he would learn the drums. He particularly enjoyed the loudest genre of music that existed at the time and formed a band in the attic of the Norman house with a few of his friends. The family endured many days and nights of screaming, electric guitar riffs, and double bass pedals. Aaron’s interest and love for music remained: he had found his niche. Music was his way of communicating what he could not say or show to the world. He and his sister named the feeling one gets when a song gives them chills: “musicasms.”

With adolescence came the natural desire to make friends and socialize outside of his family members and classmates. Aaron was a magnet for people. He had a heart “the size of Texas” and people were naturally drawn to him. He spent many late nights listening to and offering advice to his friends. Aaron enjoyed local Marble Falls hangouts like Brass Hall and The R Bar. The employees and patrons of these establishments were second family to him. He was a whirlwind of white hot fire and it is an understatement to say that anyone caught in his light was warmed and moved by him. Aaron Norman’s flame burned out much too soon and the void he left in his wake will be felt for years to come. It is his profound light that lives on through the memories he created with the thousands of lives he meaningfully touched in his short 28 years, which is a legacy he would be proud of. To know Aaron was to be eternally affected by him.

Aaron was preceded in death by his paternal Grandfather, Horace Harry Norman; his paternal Grandmother, Hazel Irene Norman; and his maternal Grandmother, Georgia Corine Carter Stover. He is survived by his parents, Reed and Jeri Norman of Marble Falls; and his three sisters: Heather Norman and her partner, Selena Chambers, of Austin, Texas; Brittany Skinner and her husband, Will Skinner, of Granite Shoals, Texas; and Rebekah Norman, of Granite Shoals, Texas. He is also survived by his adoring nieces and nephews: Emery Nicole, Rayden Lamar, Savannah Raelyn, Isaac Reed, and Sahara Jade. Last but never least, he is survived by his sweetest and closest companion: Penny.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, Feb. 6, 2021 at First Baptist Church of Marble Falls, on 901 La Ventana Drive at 2 o’clock p.m. Donations may be sent to The Phoenix Center of Marble Falls, Texas, a local organization that provides accessible treatment services to children in need of behavioral and mental health healing.