Norman D. Fech

Norman D. Fech, 86, of Winfield, IN and previously a long time resident of Griffith, IN, passed away on August 3, 2026 in the loving arms of his wife of 36 years, Sue.  

He is survived by his wife, Sue; his children, Kevin (Angie) Fech, Robin (Edward) Keck, Scott (Rick) Fech, and Matthew (Margie) Fech; daughter-in-law, Sandra Hayes; grandchildren, Brandon, Kristina, Veronica, Ryan, Tyler, Madisyn, Spencer, Callen, Kenna, Bryce, Beckett and Ricky; great-grandsons, Adrian and Drake; and siblings, Linda O'Connell and Dennis Fech.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Edward and Thresa; brothers, Bruce, Dale and Brian; sisters, Elaine and Beverly; and his first wife, Barbara.

After graduating from Bishop Noll High School, Norm went on to serve in the United States Marine Corp where he was honorably discharged.  He went on to play minor league baseball for the Clinton Iowa White Sox before returning to Northwest Indiana where he met Barbara, with whom he had his four children.  

After Barbara’s passing and 25 years of marriage, he married Sue and they remained happily married until his death.  Sue was a loving and steadfast caregiver for him for the last several years as he battled dementia and Alzheimer’s.  

Norm developed a love for cooking and entertaining.  For more than 30 years he hosted a family reunion where the theme/food choice would change from country to country or region to region.  The event was attended at his home by sometimes greater than 60 people.

While his kids were growing up, there wasn’t anything for which Norm wouldn’t volunteer.  You could find him at the ball fields coaching softball and Little League, or at the local gym coaching CYO Basketball.  For several years, he also volunteered for the Bishop Noll band camp.  Norm could always be counted on to lend a helping hand.

In the early 1990s, Norm took up officiating basketball, baseball and volleyball.  He was well known for arriving at the local ballpark on his red scooter with his umpire gear in tow.

Norm also loved to camp with Sue and his grandchildren, taking them all over the country in a pop-up camper to see places like Mt. Rushmore and the Grand Canyon.   Some of his grandchildren’s greatest memories are spending time with their Grandpa around the campground, playing games, telling stories and making s’mores by the fire.   

When he lived in Griffith, Norm was a parishioner at St. Mary’s Catholic Church and regular at the 6:30 a.m. mass when he wasn’t serving as a Eucharistic Minister at other services.  Norm loved his Catholic family at St. Mary’s and spent countless hours volunteering in a variety of different capacities.

Norm will be dearly missed by his family and friends.  In lieu of flowers, Norm would want donations to made to: St. Mary Church on their website at, https://smgriffith.org/ or by mail, 525 N Broad St, Griffith, IN 46319.

Visitation for Norm will be Monday, August 10, 2026 from 10:00am - 1:30pm at Hillside Funeral Home, 8941 Kleinman Road, Highland, Indiana 46322, with funeral service to follow at 1:30pm, officiated by Father Theodore Mens.  Burial will be at St. John/St. Joseph Cemetery in Hammond, Indiana.

For further information, please contact Hillside Funeral Home, Konnie Kuiper - Michael Kuiper-Vass, by calling 219-838-0800 or visiting us at www.hillsidefhcares.com

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