Over the past decade, we've covered many stories with Corey's Network and the families they've supported. KSHB 41 reporter Alyssa Jackson spoke with Shelley Norris, widow of Bob Norris, following his death. Alyssa attended his funeral service on Tuesday. Share your story idea with Alyssa.
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Eleven years ago, Corey's Network was created from the grief of two parents whose son was murdered.
Robert "Bob" and Michelle "Shelley" Norris thought families needed more options for support services.
Hundreds of referrals and hotline calls later, the couple grew Corey's Network far beyond what they initially imagined.
Bob Norris was a big part of the organization's success.
He died Oct. 10 at the age of 73.
Norris's funeral services Tuesday morning were open to all and were a reminder of the work he helped start.
"I don't think he knew how important he was to everyone," Shelley told KSHB 41's Alyssa Jackson earlier this month. "He is going to be a motivation for all of us."
Corey's Network has tracked 695 unsolved homicides that have occurred since 1970.
The nonprofit has worked with and offered referrals for 475 families to support groups in its network.
In the past decade, hundreds of families have received financial help from Corey's Network to pay for funerals.
KC Mothers in Charge, a nonprofit for mothers who've lost a child to violent crime, was created the same year as Corey's Network.
"It started out as a lot of pain but grew to something bigger than that," said Latrice Murray, outreach coordinator for KC Mothers in Charge, whose son was murdered in 2009.
People like Murray and Rosilyn Temple, who founded Mothers in Charge, bonded with Norris through the commonality of losing a child.
They shared an urge to help someone else.
"We were parents," Temple said. "I was a momma. Shelley was a momma. Bob was a dad. We just needed that. We wanted to fix our pain."
Most people knew Bob Norris stayed behind the scenes and out of the spotlight, but when the 24-hour Corey's Network hotline rang, he answered.
He vetted all 695 unsolved homicides daily to make sure they hadn't been solved, Shelley said.
Damon Daniel, president of AdHoc Group Against Crime, spoke at Bob's funeral.
He met the Norris family one year after they started Corey's Network. Every year since, they've been partners.
"Bob is one of the most kind, compassionate and caring individuals I've worked with," Daniel said. "Every time I've seen Bob, it brings about a big smile on my face. They had his hat in there. Him and that straw hat ... keeping the sun out of his eyes to stay cool. He's always had a lot of good jokes ... bad dad jokes."
Bob made sure hundreds of families had a support group.
Hopefully, he knew he had his own cheerleaders.
"He’s just a humble servant and community leader, and he will be missed tremendously," Daniel said. "I just pray that Kansas City can step up and help this organization during this time as well, as they’ve stood with countless families."
The work built by Shelley and Bob is far from over.
Corey's Network's Facebook page is just one example.
Posts are still going up each day because Bob pre-scheduled them to publish on the anniversary of an unsolved homicide.
Now, it's their network's turn to help them continue what they started.
"He has planted the seed for it to go on," Murray said.
In lieu of flowers, the family asked for donations toward Corey's Network.
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