Norman Lyle Silvernail died peacefully on June 12, 2018. He was born 10/19/1919 on a farm near Cass City, Michigan, during the Great Depression. He had a hard life. His father died when he was 7. He was the middle of 11 children, in a blended family, and the only one to graduate from High School. He married the love of his life, Kathryn (Wanrooy), in 1940, during which time he sold Rexair vacuum cleaners door to door in Lansing. While living in Lansing, Norm entered the United States Army and served in the European Theatre in World War II. They began making their home in Big Rapids, when he returned from the war in 1947. He owned the Big Rapids Credit Bureau before he created and operated the Installment Loan Dept. at the 1st National Bank (now Chemical Bank). In 1966 he retired and opened Silvernail Realty, dealing mainly in the Land Contract business. He enjoyed Music and was a member of the Vacationland Chorus and the SPEBSQSA (Barbershop Quartet Singing). He belonged to the Elks and Lions clubs, holding offices in each, and was a highly regarded Elks ritual performer when reciting the Thanatopsis from heart! He was on the school board and while being President of the Chamber of Commerce, negotiated for their building next to the Dairy Queen. He was a founding member of the Muskegon River Boat Club and enjoyed many years of entertaining while floating down the river and cooking on the grill. Norm and Kay retired to Florida when their daughter, Susan, bought the business in 1985, sharing time between Ft. Myers Beach and Big Rapids, along with extensive travel in their Airstream travel trailer. He helped form a cooperative mobile home community in Ft. Myers Beach, Florida (Gulf View Colony), where he was President 9 times! Kay died in 1997. Since then the kids-Jim Silvernail (Barb) of Port Arthur, Texas, Dorothy Silvernail, of Naples, Florida, and Susan Glatz(John Berkenpas) of Big Rapids, have had "shared custody" of their father. He had 7 grandkids, and 15 Great-grandkids. Kay and Norm are now dancing and singing together, and playing a little golf. His body has been donated to the University of Michigan for anatomical study. A celebration of his life will be held later in the summer. Memorial contributions may be made in Normans name to Spectrum Health Hospice. Envelopes are available at the Daggett-Gilbert Funeral Home in Big Rapids. Share a memory or leave a condolence for the family by clicking our guestbook tab at www.daggettgilbertfuneralhome.com