Charles “Charlie” Edward Norton, age 81, passed away on Friday, July 19, 2024, at his home in Leoti, Kansas. He was born to Walter Wade and Clara Francis Moore Norton on November 25, 1942, in Scott City, Kansas, and was a lifelong resident of Leoti. Drafted into the U.S. Army in 1964, Charlie served as an armorer in the 2/21st Artillery, 25th Infantry Division, U.S. Army until 1966, attaining the rank of Specialist E4.
On January 21, 1966, Charlie married Patricia J. Schulz in Lakin, Kansas. She survives him.
After his military service, he attended a farrier’s school and shod horses for many years. Charlie went on to become a renowned artist and historian, capturing the true spirit of the American West, its buffalo, and its people in his sculptures and paintings. Charlie was inducted into the Cowboy Hall of Fame in Dodge City, and was the sculptor of the 8th Wonder of Kansas, “Buffalo Bill” in Oakley, Kansas. He was a lifetime member of the Sharps Collectors Association, a board member of the Kansas State Historical Society, and a supporter of the Museum of the Great Plains in Leoti, Kansas. Charlie truly lived a western life.
Charlie is survived by his wife and three children: Tonya & John Lamb of Russell Springs, Kansas; Taner & Suzanne Norton of Cheyenne, Wyoming; and Carson & Ashley Norton of Leoti, Kansas. He is also survived by eight grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
A graveside memorial service will be held at the Leoti Cemetery at a later date.
There will be no calling times.
Memorials may be given to the "Charlie Norton Memorial Fund" in care of Price & Sons Funeral Home, PO Box 161, Leoti, KS 67861.