TRIBUTES have been paid to a Weymouth dad who was found with life-threatening injuries at home on Christmas Day and died a week later in hospital.

The family of 32-year-old Steven Norris are taking comfort in the fact that four people’s lives have been saved as he was an organ donor following his death.

Unbeknown to them, he signed up to the Organ Donor Register as a teenager after being moved by a programme on television.

Mr Norris died in hospital on New Year’s Eve from injuries he suffered in the tragedy.

It is understood an inquest will be held in due course.

Mr Norris, who was known by his nickname of ‘Norro’, was a popular character around Weymouth and scores of tributes have been paid to him on social media by people shocked by his untimely death.

His partner Kelly Argent said Mr Norris had ‘touched so many people’s lives’.

His devastated family have paid tribute to an ‘intelligent, funny and kind’ man and said the fact he saved other lives by donating his kidneys, liver and pancreas were ‘helping them to cope in their darkest days’.

His mum Lynn said: “It is something good to come out of this tragedy.”

She described her son as a ‘maverick’ and after some ‘turbulent years’ had been getting his life back on track.

“He liked to live life his own way, not always conforming,” she said.

“Like a lot of young men he lost his way in life but he managed to turn it around.

“For the last 18 months he was the happiest we had known him.

“He was maturing.

“The love of his life was his little girl. They adored each other.”

Former Budmouth College student Mr Norris was into sport as a child and swam at county level, and also enjoyed playing the guitar.

Mrs Norris said her son’s ‘lifetime dream’ was to become a Royal Marine but at the end of the gruelling training he was told that due to health problems if he continued he would be crippled so he had to give it up.

“After that he didn’t find anything that came close,” she said.

Mr Norris worked in different trades including engineering and construction. Mrs Norris said: “We have discovered just how many people knew him. He had an ability to gather together so many friends and he used to support them by any means, even lending them money when he didn’t have any of his own.”

Mr Norris was known for his ‘cheeky banter’ on his Facebook posts and his own page has been flooded with heartfelt tributes.

One described him as an ‘intelligent, interesting and funny dude’.

Others described him as a ‘legend’ and praised his ‘unique sense of humour’. Weymouth musician Tom Caulfield said he would donate the proceeds of a gig to charity in memory of his friend.

Paying tribute to Mr Norris on Facebook, he said: “He carried himself with a lot more wit and humour than most, and just as he made his presence felt, so he’ll be missed.”

Mr Norris’s funeral is at Weymouth Crematorium at 10am on Thursday, January 15.

 

  • STEVEN Norris made Echo headlines in 2009 when he tackled a man brandishing a knife in town centre bar Boho. Speaking to the Echo after the incident, Mr Norris said he acted to defend bar staff when a customer became aggressive after being refused a drink. He spotted a knife and wrestled the man to the floor. The man was arrested and later jailed.