Age 79, of West St. Paul, MN
Passed away peacefully on October 22, 2023, after a courageous battle with cancer.
Preceded in death by father Norman R. Gellerman and step-father Eugene F. Dunn Jr., mother, Virginia M. Dunn (Prayfrock), sister Judith (Gellerman) Furlong, brother in law Robert Feldkamp and niece Sondra Feldkamp; Survived by children: Jay (Molly), Kevin (Pati), Mark (Jessica); grandchildren: Kaitlyn, Matthew, Patrick, Zoe and Meagan; siblings: Susan (Tom) O’Connell, Patricia Dunn, Mary Jo Feldkamp, Margaret (David) Lacktorin, Eugene F. (Jamie) Dunn III, brother-in-law Charles (Sandi) Furlong; many nieces, nephews, great nieces and great nephews. Mass of Christian Burial 10:00 am Monday, October 30th with visitation one hour prior, Lumen Christi Catholic Church, 2055 Bohland Ave., St. Paul and can be live streamed at https://lumenchristicc.org/mass-times. Interment Resurrection Cemetery.
Norm was born on June 9, 1944, during WWII. His father, Norman, was killed in WWII on March 3, 1944. Because his father made the ultimate sacrifice, Norm never knew his biological father. Upon his mother’s marriage to Eugene Dunn, he finally gained a father, and a loving, caring father at that. Norm grew up in St. Paul attending St. Mark’s Grade School. He attended and graduated from St. Thomas Academy in 1963. He went on to obtain his bachelor’s degree from The College of St. Thomas, when it was still an all-male campus. In 1967, Norm enlisted in the Air Force as a commissioned officer. During his years in the Air Force he was stationed in Panama City, Florida, where he married Linda A. Smith. On June 8, 1970, on the Air Force base in Panama City, he became a father to twins James and Kevin. Norm was honorably discharged from the Air Force in 1971, having achieved the rank of Captain. Norm and family moved to St. Paul, MN, where they settled down for several years. On February 13, 1980, Norm became a father to his third son Mark. After building a new home themselves, Norm and Linda moved to Mendota Heights. Norm enjoyed the newly built third stall of his garage to house his precious white, 1967 Camaro convertible. Using his mechanical experience from the Air Force he overhauled that Camaro over several years. When not tinkering with his Camaro, Norm studied and obtained his Masters of Business Administration from the College of St. Thomas. Norm also became a hockey, baseball and soccer dad. He immensely enjoyed watching his sons excel at their sports and attended every event he could. He became the equipment and gambling manager for the Mend-Eagan Athletic Association. Norm’s love for all things hockey led him to a position at Cunningham Sports, where in 2000, he assisted in producing the hockey jerseys for the very first season of the Minnesota Wild. Norm learned the business of jersey and sweatshirt lettering and decided to go into business for himself. He established Sports Lettering and began lettering jerseys and sweatshirts for many local high schools, community sports programs and adult leagues of all types. This work brought great joy to Norman as he remained involved in the local sports community. Norm eventually settled in West St. Paul and ran his business out of a local warehouse. Norm joyfully attended the weddings of his boys and welcomed his daughters-in law with great pride and love. As his grandchildren were born, he attended Baptisms, First Communions, sporting events of every kind, especially hockey, and even a dance recital or two. Norm was extremely proud of his family, which was clear by the many pictures he kept of them throughout his home. In 2022, Norm learned that he had stage four lung cancer that had metastasized to his vertebrae. He knew his days of sports lettering were coming to a close. He sold much of his business equipment and materials to a local man who was building up his own sports lettering business. Knowing that his machines and materials would continue to be used to produce jerseys and sweatshirts for local teams brought Norm some peace. After multiple trips to and stays in the V.A., Norm spent his final days at a hospice care facility in West St. Paul, where the staff kept Norm as comfortable as possible. Norm took his last breaths in the early morning of October 22, 2023. He was united once again with his mother and sister, and finally met his dad. Norm will be greatly missed by his family, friends and all who knew him. Anyone wishing memorialize Norm can do so with a donation to the V.A. or to the American Cancer Society.