Reverend June Norris had a sweet, calming presence and she often touched the faces of people who talked to her at the Metropolitan Community Church (MCC).
“You always felt better after you talked to her,” said Reverend David Farrell, the former pastor of MCC in San Diego who knew Norris for 40 years.
“Her smile will live on forever and in all our hearts,” said Senior Pastor Dan Koeshall on Jan. 9 at the celebration of the life of Norris, 88, who died from cancer on Dec. 14, 2010 at her home in Escondido.
Koeshall told the congregation that Norris left written instructions about her funeral. “I want this to be a joyful celebration, not a mournful dirge,” quoted Koeshall from her instructions, to 100 people who gathered at her memorial service. Mourners laughed.
Norris had the distinction of being MCC’s first heterosexual ordained pastor. She joined MCC Los Angeles in 1971, and entered MCC’s seminary, to follow her calling to preach. She was licensed in 1973 and ordained in 1974. She was the second woman to be ordained by MCC.
“She opened the doors for every heterosexual pastor at MCC,” said Reverend Troy Perry, MCC’s founder. “She was such a blessing. Every gay man wanted to talk to her.”
One man spoke of visiting an MCC church for the first time after experiencing rejection for being gay in other churches. He said he started to cry, and didn’t know why, when Norris touched his face. He quoted her as saying, “I just want you to know you’re home.”
Koeshall talked about her ability to forge “a lifetime bond” with others. “She loved unconditionally by nature,” he said. She retired in 1992 but continued to be an active member of San Diego MCC. “She loved you all so much. I think she adopted everyone here,” said Koeshall.
Her favorite song, “It is No Secret (What God Can Do)” was performed by Tom Marzo, her roommate of six years.
“There was no fear in her eyes, her voice. She wasn’t afraid of dying,” said Marzo. “She truly loved this church. She loved you as individuals.”
Norris was born in 1921 in Colorado and was raised in the Baptist Church. She got married at age 15 and had three children by the time she turned 20 years old. She attended the Seventh Day Adventist Church for many years and was divorced after 28 years of marriage. She moved to California to attend college at age 46.
The only person she knew in Los Angeles was her gay nephew who invited her to attend MCC with him. Norris last spoke of this when she preached at both services on Oct. 24, 2010. Norris recalled being called to preach not long after attending MCC services.
Early in her ministry, Norris also worked at the White Memorial Hos-pital, which was then sponsored by the Seventh Day Adventists, who took a dim view of associating with homosexuals in 1974. She was fired.
Norris pastored two MCC churches in Raleigh and Fayetteville, North Carolina, and another MCC church in Des Moines, Iowa. She also wrote a book called Strange Call.
She is survived by two sons, Paul Norris, of Riverside, and Gene Norris of Alabama; a 100-year-old sister in Winchester; five grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren. She was predeceased by a daughter, Dixie.
Her ashes will be scattered at sea. Donations may be made in her memory to MCC San Diego, P.O. Box 33291, San Diego, CA. 92163.
“God called her to heaven and she said yes,” said Koeshall. He ended the service by transferring her membership “to the church in heaven.”
