Roll of Honor
Incident
Deputy Sheriff Marion D. Norton was in the sheriff's office when Sheriff Butler directed Deputy Norton to attend to some business in the jail. As Deputy Norton was preparing to leave the sheriff's office he picked up his pistol from a table. The pistol dropped and discharged, the bullet passed through Norton's body, killing him.
Deputy Norton was a former Texas Ranger. He was single and was survived by his mother, Sarah C. Norton, and several brothers and sisters. He is buried in Oakwood Cemetery, Tyler, Texas.
Survivors
He was single and was survived by his mother, Sarah C.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-TX-D401810C- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
144 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Deputy Sheriff Norton served with the Smith County Sheriff's Office.
Thank you for your service to the Tyler community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Deputy Sheriff Marion D. Norton is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In TX, 653 of 2,421 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 27% of this state's fallen. That is 4 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
At Smith County Sheriff's Office, 3 of 8 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 37.5% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Marion D. Norton's cause is highlighted.
How Marion D. Norton Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Marion D. Norton is highlighted in Jul.
Others Who Wore This Badge
7 officers from Smith County Sheriff's Office are honored on badge.nw.
