Obituary of Norton Henry Herley

Age 95 years, 9 months and 10 days. Bill spent 34,982 days on the earth until Jesus took him to his home in Heaven on March 22, 2016. Bill died at home holding his daughter’s hand and surrounded by his son-in-law and grandchildren. He was predeceased by his wife of 55 years, Phyllis Paliotti Herley in 1999 and his dear friend Leslie Vermeulen in 2014. He is survived by his daughter and son-in-law, Suzanne and Carl Pilon, his 6 beloved grandchildren, Siobhan (Gordon) Achter, Conor Monagan, Shauna Monagan, Carl Jordan “CJ� Pilon, Nicole Pilon and Davianna Pilon. He is also survived by his precious great grandsons, Cole James Achter and Zaiden Henry Achter, whom he called “my boys�. He is survived by his dear friend Bob Mullen who brought him countless books, artifacts and memorabilia from his hometown. Bill and his family were very blessed to have lived together for 50 of the last 54 years. In 2014, the family home was chosen for a makeover by Home Depot as part of a project honoring veterans. Bill was so surprised at the reveal that September, as many members of the community were present. He was moved to tears when he saw the renovation which included many things to make his life easier. He was deeply grateful to countless volunteers from Home Depot, Hilton Cares, the Hilton Central School District and communities far and wide. When Bill passed away, he was at peace knowing that his family was living in a safe, comfortable home. He wanted his family to reiterate his wishes of gratitude and appreciation to everyone involved in the project. Bill was born in Brockport, NY on June 20, 1920 to Ina Frances Norton and Henry Conrad Herley. He later moved to East Bloomfield, Clyde and finally settled in Lyons. It was in Lyons that he met and married Phyllis Paliotti on November 22, 1944. Bill was a self-employed electrician with his business, Lyons Electric Service. He also contracted with Eastman Kodak and taught courses at BOCES. Bill thoroughly enjoyed his trade which took him to many rural homesteads in Wayne County. He would often take pet rabbits, eggs and vegetables as payment for his work. He frequently traveled with his family throughout the Eastern United States and Canada. His three favorite places to visit were Key West, Lowry Park in Tampa and 31 Marina Restaurant in Ft Myers. He enjoyed fishing with his daughter and grandchildren, building rockets, eating out and fixing anything in disrepair. Bill was never idle. He read multiple books every week and, courtesy of his friend Leslie, he frequented libraries all over Monroe County. He cherished books on physics, anything by Stephen Hawking and reading about Coach Jim Boeheim and the Orangemen. He and the Coach’s father were friends in Lyons, and he was very proud of all that Jim had accomplished. He enjoyed his daily crossword puzzle and the classic movie channel. Bill worked diligently his entire life, but he always made time for his family. He cherished the simple things, grilling hot dogs, roasting marshmallows, playing with his dogs and cats and watching his grandchildren and great grandsons at play. He was the best dad any child could ask for, and he devoted countless hours to fishing, swimming, building and teaching parts of his trade to his daughter. When he was later blessed with 6 grandchildren, he enjoyed being the hands-on grandpa that they all adored, nurturing their imaginations as he allowed them to create with his tools and materials. Bill and his family were very thankful to the members of Visiting Nurse Service, particularly to his PT, Paula, whose hard work and careful attention allowed him to grow strong and walk again. Bill and his family would also like to thank VNS Hospice and Chaplain Levi for his tender heart and the caring doctors, nurses and health care aides of Highland Hospital ED and 6 West. Bill would be greatly honored if after reading this you would spend time, unplugged, with your loved ones, making memories and showing love and kindness to the children and animals you meet along your journey, and when someone you hold dear tells you a story from their life, write it down; that story will live on and be treasured forever.