Norman Friedel

Norman Friedel

Norman Leo Friedel, 77, passed away Saturday, October 23, 2004, in Waco. Mass will be at 9:30am Thursday at St. Louis Catholic Church, 2001 N. 25th St. in Waco, with Monsignor Mark Deering as celebrant. Burial will be at Waco memorial Park. Visitation will be 6pm Wednesday followed by the Rosary at 7pm at OakCrest Funeral Home, 4520 Bosque Blvd. Viewing will start at 4pm on Tuesday.

Norman was born April 11, 1927 in New Orleans, Louisiana, to Cecelia Touzet Friedel and George Frederick Friedel. He graduated from Holy Cross High School in New Orleans in 1944. After serving in the Navy at the end of World War II, he attended Louisiana State University on the GI bill. He earned both his Bachelors and Masters degrees in Music from LSU and remained a devoted LSU Tiger football fan all of his life.

He played trombone with the Baton Rouge Symphony and the New Orleans Summer Pops. It was in the Baton Rouge Symphony where he was immediately smitten with his wife of 47 years, Peggy Jean Webb Friedel, a violinist with the orchestra. He also played with the Waco and the Baylor Symphonies for a number of years.

Norman was a band director in Louisiana and East Texas until he and his family settled in Waco where he was band director at Lake Air Junior High for 22 years. He also served as the voice of the "Horns of the Rams,' the Richfield High School marching band during half-time shows. He was a mentor to many students and band directors, leaving a legacy of musicians across the country. His guidance, generosity, humor, and enthusiasm for life will be greatly missed.
He was a long-standing member of the Karem Shrine Temple, participating as a Scottish Rite 32nd degree Mason and a Shriner. He directed the Karem Shrine Band for many years, and under his leadership winning became a tradition. Norman enjoyed playing his trombone at many dances, rodeos, circuses, and other shows in Central Texas. He was the volunteer choir director at St. Louis Catholic Church for many years. He had a wonderful baritone voice and it wasn't Christmas until we heard him sing"Oh, Holy Night; on Christmas Eve. He had been a member of the Parkdale Neighborhood Association for many years and continued to serve his community as Chairman of the Waco Transit Board.
He was a devoted husband, taking care of his wife, Peggy, through her many years of illness. He admired her sweetness of spirit in spite of her pain, and felt honored to care for her until her death in Febuary of 2001. He is survived by two loving daughters, Cherie Lynn Friedel of Dallas and Catherine Ann Friedel Williams of Waco, and beloved grandson, Jordan Michael Williams.

Flowers may be sent to OakCrest Funeral Home. Memorials may be made to the American Heart Association or American Diabetes Association.