Followers of the St. Paul Winter Carnival know Norman Horton Jr. as a former Titan, Prince of the North Wind.
“Stormin’ Norman” was a member of carnival royalty in 1978 and continued to be active in organizing the event throughout his life.
The 68-year-old Burnsville resident died Dec. 8 of a heart attack.
“His death was such a shock, because it was unexpected,” said friend Larry Boyle. “Norm was a great guy. He was one of a kind.”
Horton was vice president and general manager of Norm’s Auto Parts, which at one time had four locations in St. Paul and one in West St. Paul, but since has been sold.
Ever the entrepreneur, Horton helped develop a phone system that enabled dozens of auto-parts stores in the Midwest to communicate with each other and was a pioneer in the integration of computers into the auto-parts business, said his son, Mark.
Horton grew up on Rice Street in Little Canada, near where Maplewood and Roseville meet St. Paul. He attended Alexander Ramsey High School in Roseville, where he got the nickname “Stormin’ Norman” and met his future wife, JoAnn. They were married in 1960, the same year Horton graduated from Hamline University with a degree in economics.
Horton was a lineman and co-captain of the football team at Hamline. After leaving school, he kept his hand in the game he loved by helping his friend and ex-teammate Boyle, then a football coach at Tartan High School, as a volunteer scout.
In 1978, Horton was asked to join the carnival’s Royal Family as a representative of the North End Business Association. JoAnn Horton said the role was a big commitment, but her husband was a social man and he enjoyed the opportunity, making about 300 appearances as Titan.
“He was always looking out for the North End,” Norman Horton Sr., said of his son’s commitment to businesses in the St. Paul neighborhood.
Horton continued to work with the Titan Organization, raising money and helping with organizational elements of the Winter Carnival.
After leaving the family business, Horton worked in sales for a number of truck dealerships. In 1996, the couple moved to Burnsville to be closer to Astleford International, where Horton worked until retiring in 2005.
Horton love to fish, a passion his father instilled in him as a youth during their fishing trips to Canada. His many hobbies were diverse – from raising show dogs to baking bread and investing in the stock market.
“He shared with us many years of fun times and relationships,” his wife said.
In addition to his wife, son and father, Horton is survived by daughters Linda Horton and Nancy Olson; brothers Roland Horton and Eugene Horton; sisters JoAnn Samuelson and Jeanne Talmadge; half brother Thomas Horton; half sister Rebecca Penovich; and five grandchildren.
Services were Thursday.
Copyright 2006 Pioneer Press.