Rayburn Edwin Norling

Rayburn Edwin Norling, 89, of Willmar, died Tuesday, April 23rd at Bethesda Grand in Willmar.  His Celebration of Life will be held 1:30 pm, Saturday, May 4th at Assembly of God in Willmar with visitation one hour prior to the service.  Interment will be in Fairview Cemetery.  Funeral arrangements are with Harvey Anderson Funeral Home in Willmar. www.hafh.org  Memorials may be given to Norling Brothers Foundation, 1809 3rd St NE, Willmar, MN 56201.

Rayburn Norling was born on November 25, 1934, in Willmar, to Albin and Huldah (Skoglund) Norling.

Ray grew up in the Svea area.  He and his brother, Palmer, learned early on that hard work was just part of life in rural Minnesota, and he took these responsibilities seriously during his formative years, whether at school, on the farm, or at Norling Brothers Silo company.  Ray met Harriet Peterson at Willmar High School, and after his graduation from Gustavus Adolphus College, they were married August 25, 1956. Following basic training in the Army Reserve and short stints at companies out of state, they settled back in the Willmar area.  Ray then went to work in the bookkeeping department at Willmar Poultry & Egg Co. which had been founded by his father, Albin, and partner, Albert Huisinga.

Through 60 active years with the company, Ray was a leader in the different departments and companies under the Willmar Poultry umbrella, either as a mentor, manager, director and/or officer.  During his tenure, he helped to lead the multiple entities that were formed or acquired over the decades: Willmar Poultry Company, PALS, Farm Service Elevator, Willmar Poultry Farms, Midwest Data, Epitopix, Syntiron, Nova-Tech Engineering, Life-Science Innovations, MinnWest Technology Campus, and others.  He and his partner, Ted Huisinga, were known as having the perfect attributes for a leadership team - the visionary (Ted) and the administrator (Ray), both being men of strong faith who sought wisdom from their Lord.

Ray’s family attended Svea Lutheran Church, then Calvary Lutheran, where he taught Sunday School, sang in the choir, and served in leadership.

Ray was very intentional with everything he did, both at work and at home.  He made sure his three children learned the importance of Christian faith, frugal living, and generosity.  He and Harriet found joy in giving to their church, other ministries, and humanitarian organizations. When Annette, Jodi and Torry were young, he took great satisfaction in bringing his family to poultry conventions that were held in warmer climates during the winters, along with occasional summer trips as well. He provided his children activities for all seasons, such as boating, water skiing, golf, tennis, horses, camping, snowmobiling, and downhill skiing.  Ray also made time for flying, which served his company and family well when travel was in order.  In his later years, his main hobbies were watching football, light landscaping, and, of course, golfing, as he and Harriet spent their winters in Arizona.  He shot his best golf score on his 77th birthday: a one-over-par 77. 

Ray helped continue his predecessors’ reputations for integrity and giving in all aspects of his life.  With Harriet by his side, their home became a “hospitality house” for various young people, usually involved in missions, almost continuously after their three kids were on their own.

People enjoyed working for and alongside Ray.  He was very respectful to others, patient, and a good listener.  He was a man of his word.  He thought things through and brought his wisdom and experience to each decision. He was sincere and honest, objective and focused. And most importantly, his Christian faith has been carried forward through his extensive family, which pleased him greatly.

Ray is survived by his wife, Harriet, brother, Palmer (and Dee) of Willmar, three children, G. Annette Beliveau (Marlin), Willmar, Jodi Smith, Grove City, and Torry (and Valerie) Norling, Willmar; 19 grandchildren; 76 great-grandchildren; and one great-great-grandchild.

He was preceded in death by his parents, sister-in-law, Carolyn Norling, and son-in-law, Kent Smith.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Rayburn Edwin Norling, please visit our floral store.