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West Lafayette City Councilor Norris Wang Dies at 65

Stan Jastrzebski/WBAA News
Norris Wang (left) watches election results come in during the 2019 election

West Lafayette City Councilor Norris Wang died Sunday after a period of declining health, according to city officials. 

  

Norris Wang was serving his second term as a representative for West Lafayette’s sixth district. He was the sole Republican on the West Lafayette city council.

Mayor John Dennis said he has been friends with Wang for over 30 years. While Dennis was in law enforcement, Wang worked with the local prosecutor’s office. 

“You could trust him with your life,” Dennis said. “His enthusiasm with his job, whether it was as a city councilor, a deputy prosecuting attorney, or a judge was so invigorating.”

Dennis described Wang as one of the cities invisible rock stars. 

Credit Taken from Wang's City Council facebook page.
Norris Wang.

“He wasn’t the type of person that would immediately judge,” Dennis said. “He was a decent, dependable, amazing human being. Unfortunately, there are fewer and fewer of those anymore.”

Wang served as the Deputy Prosecutor for 14 years in Tippecanoe County before becoming Magistrate in 2003. 

Dennis said the councilor had been struggling with his health for a while.

Wang, 65, passed away due to cardiac arrest. According to his obituary, Wang was proud to be the first Chinese American magistrate in Indiana. 

 He is survived by his sister.