Philip Norris of Kane'ohe was a dedicated Rotarian, tireless volunteer and notorious storyteller who enjoyed meeting people and giving back to the community.

"You wouldn't believe how many stories he had and my wife, Kim, used to say he was like Forrest Gump," Blair Norris said of his father, who died Friday at the Castle Medical Center from a brain hemorrhage at age 78. "To that (description), we say times three."

Norris, a New York native, was adopted and raised by Claude Bazil and Fannie Inez Norris. His appreciation for the life they gave him spurred Norris' drive to give back to the community, his son said.

Norris was especially active in fundraising for Nu'uanu YMCA and served on the board of the Hawaiian Humane Society from 1966 to 1994.

He came to Hawai'i in 1958 as a Marine Corps helicopter pilot, retired as a major and started his career as a financial executive here in 1960 as a stockbroker with Dean Witter & Co. Norris became the Hawai'i manager for E.F. Hutton before closing out his working career with Prudential Securities.

Jack Hoag, retired president of First Hawaiian Bank, met Norris in 1957 in Pensacola, Fla., at helicopter flight training. They came to Hawai'i together and were stationed at Kane'ohe.

One of their favorite stories happened in 1958 while practicing helicopter formation flying in the waters off Lanikai.

Hoag recalled there were four helicopters practicing and he and Norris were piloting one of them. As they moved closer to the formation, the blades of two of the helicopters ahead of them touched and broke apart.

"It was terrible. I thought they were going to die," Hoag said of the two three-man crews of the damaged choppers heading toward the water. "We went down and rescued the two pilots and crew chief from one of the (downed) helicopters. One of the people we rescued was Capt. Dick Trundy, who became a two-star general.

"I'd always tell Phil that we wasted a lot of taxpayers' money but saved three people, including a major general who served in Vietnam," Hoag said.

Norris will be remembered by family and friends for his kindness, sense of humor and love of people, said Hoag.

In addition to his son, Norris is survived by daughters Ashley Coats of New Zealand and Susan Bradford of Santa Barbara, Calif., and eight grandchildren.

A celebration of his life will be held Monday at 9 a.m. at the Outrigger Canoe Club. His family requests that donations in his memory be made to the Hawaiian Humane Society.

Reach Rod Ohira at rohira@honoluluadvertiser.com.