Norman H. Stark, Esq.

. Norman H. Stark, Esq. passed away March 1, 2026, at home with his wife, Donna by his side. Born in Erie on July 11, 1937, he was the second son of Peter F. Stark and Marie I. Fay Stark. He has two younger sisters Marilyn "Sissy" Matosian, and Joan "Jibber" LaCour Johnson. Norm attended St. Ann Grade School, Cathedral Prep, Gannon College and, fulfilling a childhood dream of becoming a lawyer, the University of Notre Dame Law School.

He met Marie Antoinette Fazio on February 4, 1951, dated her exclusively through high school and college, and fulfilled another dream by marrying her in 1959. They had five children, Stephanie, Norman, Christine, Cynthia and Brian.

Upon graduation from law school in 1959, he was called to active duty in the US Army during the Cuban Missile Crisis. He reached the rank of Captain and was the commanding officer of the US Army Recruiting Main Station in Albany, NY, and was honorably discharged in 1965.

He and Marie returned to Erie where Norm joined MacDonald, Illig, Jones & Britton LLP, the largest and oldest law firm in Northwestern PA. He was named partner in 1972 and practiced business and commercial litigation law for 35 years until his retirement in 2000. In addition to his trial practice, Norm had a substantial appellate practice and was admitted to the US Supreme Court, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, and the US Court of Appeals (to name a few!). He was active in the Erie County Bar Association for over 50 years and served as president in 1986. Norman was honored by the ECBA with the Chancellor of the Bar awarded on Law Day 2006. He was a well-known lecturer and taught Business Law at Gannon University, the American Institute of Banking, and Pennsylvania Bar Institute. He was a VERY proud mentor to many young lawyers, and was a tireless advocate for women and minorities pursuing careers in law.

The welfare of the Erie community was always important to Norman, so it's no surprise that he had a long history of community service and was president, director or chairman of almost every organization he ever belonged to, starting with his freshman class at Prep! Most notably he served at the highest level for Legal Services of NWPA; United Cerebral Palsy of NWPA; the Community Development Commission; the International Trade Committee of the Erie Chamber of Commerce; and the Erie Rotary Club, which honored him with the 4 Way Test Award in 2006. He went on to become a District Governor of Rotary International. Norm was a board member of Leadership Erie and of the Presque Isle Partnership. He was a 28 year member of the Board of Trustees of The United Way of Erie, where he also served as chairman of the board and chief volunteer officer in 1993.

One of his proudest commitments was his role as a "Big Brother" for Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Erie where he was paired with Chris "Gus" Carroll when Gus was 8 years old. They remained "family" until the day Norman died.

He was an advocate and leader for Gannon University, Cathedral Prep, and Villa Maria Academy. At Gannon, Norm was a cofounder of the William Penn Society; chairman of the Investment in Excellence committee; and a member of the Board of Trustees for many years. Gannon honored him with the Distinguished Alumni Award in 1984. At Cathedral Prep, he was a Trustee of the Academic Excellence Foundation and was inducted into the Headmaster's Hall of Fame in 2004. He also served on the Villa Maria Academy's Board of Trustees.

The practice of his Catholic faith was most important to Norman. He served on the Board of Trustees of Catholic Charities and was Director of Erie Catholic Cemeteries and Gannondale Residential Center for Girls. He was a longtime member of St. Andrew Parish Council and served as a lector at St. Andrew and St. Jude until just a few weeks ago. He was a devoted member of the Serra club of Erie, praying and advocating for vocations to the priesthood, sisterhood, and consecrated life, for over 50 years, and of course was a former president and member of the Board of Trustees. The Serra Club honored his service in 2006 when he was appointed a Knight of St. Gregory the Great by Pope Benedict XVI. The Notre Dame Club of Erie recognized him in 2014 with their Humanitarian of the Year Award.

Norman's greatest satisfaction, however, was his family. They traveled together by train to California, by van to Cape Cod, and by motorhome to many Notre Dame football games. He cycled with his sons along the English Channel and through the Loire Valley of France, among other classic bike trips. They also sailed together for many years on Del Caryl's sailboat Scholar, competing in races on Lake Erie and Presque Isle Bay.

When his wife Marie was getting sick in 2008, son Brian and his wife Kate purchased the family house and moved in with their five young children, making it a very happy three-generation home, with a new ADA in-law addition. The joy of Norman's life became his grandchildren with whom he shared this home, Michael, Brian, Andrew, Philip, and Adelaide Stark.

Marie passed away in 2012 but in 2017, Norm married Donna Marie Geiger, a schoolmate of Marie's at St. Andrew and VMA. They enjoyed a happy and amazingly busy life together; walked all over Erie together; and drove across the US two times! They also enjoyed several summer vacations with Donna's family in the Outer Banks.

Norman died peacefully at home, content with the life he led, the lives he touched and in good standing with his Creator.

Friends may call on the family on Friday, March 13 from 3-6 PM at Burton Quinn Scott Cremation and Funeral Services, Inc. West Ridge, 3801 W. 26 St., and on Saturday, March 14 from 10 AM until the Funeral Mass at 12 PM at St. Jude the Apostle Church, 2801 W. 6 St., which will be livestreamed at https://www.saintjude.church/live/.  Private burial at Calvary Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Stark Family Fund of the Erie Community Foundation, 459 W. 6 St., Erie PA 16507 or the Stark Family Endowment at the Catholic Foundation of NWPA, 429 E. Grandview Blvd., Erie, PA 16504

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