Norberg Memorial Home, Inc. & Monuments proud to continue serving Princeton!

Written by Janice Smallwood

Working at Norberg’s with his father Bodie, JD started at a very young age assisting with everything from cleaning the office, cutting the grass and running errands. Even a time or two that he had to make a run to Peoria to pick up additional frog legs for a frog fry at The Park Tavern.

JD, a graduate of Worsham College of Mortuary Science in 1996, purchased Norberg’s from his father Bodie before his passing in 2008. JD has seen the industry change over time. Covid has caused changes for all of us, says JD. We really did our best to facilitate families during this incredibly difficult time. This was a test for all of us, says JD. Coming out of Covid, JD had to face another challenge, his alcoholism. Taught at a young age the challenges of the job and how to push down feeling. Alcoholism is a serious problem in the funeral industry. JD will be celebrating his 2nd year of sobriety June 6, 2023. He gave it to God and hasn’t looked back.

Janice, born in Chicago, IL, moved from Chicago to Princeton at the age of 11, then moving to South Carolina when she was 16. She moved back to the area in 2016, after rekindling their love, JD and Janice were Skate-a-Rama sweetheart’s, they celebrate their 7-year anniversary this April. Working in accounting most of her life and suffering her own losses, she brought an outsiders view to the funeral home. I didn’t grow up in the industry and honestly was afraid of death, says Janice, who lost her mother when she was 20, her father when she was 23 and her husband when she was 50.

Getting to know and love the families, says Janice, is the best part of the job and a part of the job I try to focus on. I was one of them, I can empathies with them. Then I realized I could be everything I wanted and didn’t get when I lost my loved ones.

JD and Janice have made small changes, adding rocking chairs out front and planting a huge sunflower field in the back of the funeral home for all in the community to enjoy. Janice and JD are active in the community from their volunteer work to Janice’s face painting and barn quilts.

At the end of the day, we just hope our community knows how honored and grateful we are to assist the families, during their time of need.

For more information on services, prearrangements or monuments, please visit www.norbergfh.com or call 815-875-2425.