Norman Vieira was born on March 18, 1937 to Antonio Joseph Vieira and Maria D’Olival Vieira in New Bedford, Massachusetts. Norman was the youngest and had two older brothers, Edwin and Tommy, and a sister, Mary, who all preceded him in death. Norman’s parents were born on Madeira Island in Portugal and came to the United States through Ellis Island in their early twenties. While at Ellis Island they heard about a large Portuguese Catholic community in New Bedford and decided to settle in that community. Norman’s family was working class and poor, but he was determined to raise himself out of poverty. He began working at the age of 10 to both help his family and save for college. Norm delivered groceries after school for ten dollars a week. He told his sons that his boss gave him a raise to twelve dollars a week because he told Norman that he could trust him. Other workers would try to steal from the deliveries, but there was never a problem with Norman’s deliveries and he was proud to earn a reputation for hard work and honesty at such a young age. Norman was brilliant and against all odds was able to attend Columbia University in New York City where he graduated first in his class and later attended University of Chicago School of Law and graduated in the top of his class. Norman later recounted how he was so moved that when the people in his immigrant community of New Bedford heard that he had been accepted to Columbia, that they were all so happy for him and no one was envious of his opportunity. They were just happy to see that someone was getting out of the cycle of poverty. After graduating from Law School, Norman was a law clerk to an Illinois Supreme Court Justice and went on to be a Law Professor specializing in Constitutional Law and Civil Rights. Norman taught at University of Idaho School of Law, UCLA, and Southern Illinois University School of Law. Norman was also an accomplished author and has published books on Civil Rights and the Supreme Court Appointment process. Norman loved to read and was often seen at Barnes and Noble having coffee and looking for a new book. In the fall of 1990, Norman met Michelle, and immediately knew she was the one for him. Norman wasted no time in making his intentions known and they were married a few short months later on December 3, 1990 in Honolulu, Hawaii. Norman and Michelle were blessed with three sons, Norman Thomas Vieira, Joseph Christian Vieira (deceased), and Noah Christopher Vieira. They were happy to recently gain a daughter, Megan, when Noah married in July of 2021. Norman also loved his pets, Noodle (Golden Retriever), Grace (Australian Sheppard mix) and Bella the cat. Norm would brush the pets each day and talk to them as members of the family. He refused to leave the beach during a hurricane unless the pets could evacuate with him. Norman was a very accomplished man, but remained extremely private and humble. Norm was a devout Catholic and loved God. He was adamant that his sons be educated in the faith and both Thomas and Noah are graduates of St. Andrew Catholic School. Norman believed that his greatest accomplishment was his family which he considered the most important and rarest treasure he had been blessed to have in his life. A Mass of Christian Burial was held at 11:00 AM on Friday, August 19, 2022 at St. Andrews Catholic Church, Myrtle Beach, SC. A private graveside service will be held at Zion Cemetery east of Ozark with Father Tom Barrett officiating Absher-Nicholson Funeral Home in Carrier Mills assisting with the burial.