Dermod "Jerry" Norton

Dermod (Jerry) Francis Norton died peacefully on August 3, 2026. He was born on October 12, 1942 in Brooklyn, New York to Dermod and Delia Norton. When Jerry was growing up, October 12th was always a school holiday so as a young boy, he thought the schools were closed because it was his birthday.

Jerry graduated from Mount St. Charles Academy in Rhode Island in 1961. He graduated from Fairfield University in Connecticut with a BA in economics in 1965. While Jerry ran track and cross country in both high school and college, he was not a recreational runner after graduation because “you only have so many breaths in life and I don’t want to use any more of them running.”

Jerry was commissioned into the Marine Corps in 1965 and was designated a Naval Aviator on August 2, 1966. He flew UH-34 helicopters with HMM-363 and also served as a Forward Air Controller with Battalion Landing Team 1/4 in Vietnam. Jerry flew over 700 combat missions in Vietnam rescuing countless wounded servicemen.

After returning to the States, Jerry was a helicopter instructor pilot at Naval Air Station Pensacola, FL and in July 1968 he became a jet instructor pilot at Naval Air Station Meridian in Mississippi.

Jerry married Christine Kovacs on July 27, 1968. They lived in Meridian until Jerry’s release from Marine Corps activity duty. In July 1969 Jerry and Christine moved to Minnesota where Jerry was a Flight Engineer for Northwest Airlines until his layoff in 1970.

Before moving to Ann Arbor, Michigan in 1973, Jerry worked for the Veterans Administration and flew in the Air Force Reserve. While in Michigan, Jerry was a corporate pilot for Ford Motor Company and flew O-2s with the Michigan Air National Guard out of Battle Creek.

In 1975 Jerry and his family moved back to Minnesota where Jerry worked as an Aviation Safety Inspector for the FAA and assisted the NTSB in aircraft accident investigations. He continued his military flying in the Wisconsin National Guard and then with the 934th Airlift Wing in Minneapolis.

In 1977 Jerry began a thirty-year career as a corporate pilot for Honeywell. He continued to fly C-130s in the Air Force Reserve and after serving in various command positions in the 934th, he was promoted to commander of the 934th Tactical Airlift Group. Jerry retired from the Air Force in 1993 as a colonel.

In 2007 Jerry retired from Honeywell as Vice President of Corporate Aviation. Because he loved flying, Jerry flew domestically and internationally as a contract pilot for several companies for 7 more years. Jerry ended his flying career in 2014 after having flown over 20,000 accident free hours.

During his military and corporate aviation careers, Jerry traveled to 85 countries and 6 continents. He proudly claimed travel to all 7 continents after a trip to Antarctica in 2015.

In addition to travel, Jerry enjoyed playing golf, scuba diving, and reading.

In 2016 Jerry was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. He was dedicated to advancing Parkinson’s research, especially at the University of Minnesota. In addition to financial support for research, Jerry participated in 3 Parkinson’s clinical trials and one cardiology clinicaltrial. He firmly believed in helping future patients by supporting research and participating in clinical trials.

Jerry is survived by his wife Christine Norton and children David (Cassandra) Norton; Kathleen Norton; Stephen (Angela) Norton; and grandchildren Jacob, Charlotte, Marie, and Caroline Norton.

In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the University of Minnesota Foundation for the Dermod F. and Christine K. Norton Endowed Faculty Fund or donor’s choice.

A gathering to celebrate Jerry’s life will be held in October. Burial will be at the Ft. Snelling National Cemetery.