Norman Roberts, 68, Grand Forks, died on Jan. 3, 2023, in a Grand Forks hospital.

Norman Roberts was born on March 29, 1954, in Minot to Randal and June (Bentley) Roberts. He was raised in Douglas. As a young adult he was a gifted musician who loved to play electric guitar and piano. He graduated from Garrison High School around the same time that he began to show symptoms of schizophrenia, a disease he lived with for the rest of his life.

Norman survived lengthy stays at the North Dakota State Hospital in Jamestown during the 1970s, ultimately benefitting from national deinstitutionalization efforts that sought to treat people with mental illness with dignity and in their communities.

Norman valued living independently, and he thrived in a supported housing program through Prairie Harvest Mental Health in Grand Forks. While Norman traveled home to Douglas several times a year to celebrate the holidays with his family, he also considered Prairie Harvest staff and clients his second family.

Throughout his life, Norman cherished his beloved rock music, staying current with new artists and collecting 8-tracks, cassettes, and eventually CDs. In his later years, he also became an avid painter, skillfully rendering everything from animals to abstracts. He was known as a kind and gentle man.

Norman is survived by his sister Ramona (Lawrence) Talbott of Douglas; brothers Zack (Marion) Roberts and Robin (Joan Roberts) of Garrison; and numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents and his niece, Traci Nan Talbott.

Memorial Service: Wednesday, June 14, 2023, at 10:30 AM at the  Douglas Senior Center, Douglas. Interment will be in the Douglas Cemetery.

Please send donations and remembrances to Prairie Harvest Mental Health, 930 North 3rd Street, Grand Forks, ND, 58203.