Seahawks superfan received gift of lifetime before heart gave out
By Kari Plog, The News Tribune (Tacoma, Wash.) | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
For a lifelong fan, nothing could top Super Bowl XLVIII. The
Three days later on
Then, just two days later,
"It was just a normal day,"
More than a month after Adam's death, his 12th Man flag still flies outside the family home, where Tracey is raising the couple's three sons -- Cannen, 10; Baley, 13; and Hunter, 15.
The Nortons, gathered around their table last weekend in their
The family is adjusting to what Tracey calls "a new normal," but they continue to live the way Adam did -- full of joy, and dressed in blue and green.
"He loved the
A TRUE FAN
He and his wife grew up in fanatic households. Season tickets were handed down in the family "since Day 1 of their existence," Adam said in an email, and "on
A decade ago, the couple got "XIITHMN" license plates for their SUV, and Adam said he loved getting honks and cheers while driving around.
He was a season-ticket holder for 11 years, until making a sacrifice two seasons ago for his oldest son. Hunter's class was taking a trip to
"I had to make the hardest decision I've ever made," Adam wrote. "I gave up my seats so he could go on the trip of a lifetime."
That didn't keep the Nortons from CenturyLink Field. Adam would buy single-game tickets and said "it was always a battle to see which of the boys got to go with dad on the train to the game."
When they weren't at the stadium, the Nortons watched from home with the same rituals: firing up the grill no matter the weather, and eating Tracey's homemade pretzels and double-chocolate-chip cookies with the same group of friends.
Hunter was even forbidden from watching the game with them -- a superstition born in the team's first win of the season when the boy was practicing guitar in his room while listening to cheers from downstairs.
"I couldn't know anything," Hunter said. "Those were the rules."
BEST WEEK EVER
On Super Bowl Sunday, rituals remained the same, but tensions were high.
Tracey said her husband feared a repeat of the heartbreak in the
She teased that he needed to calm down and take it easy.
After the
"He was bawling his eyes out," Tracey said.
Plans for a family field trip to the victory parade started immediately .
Despite the cold weather and a five-hour trip to
"We took an adventure to be a part of history," she said. "My goodness was it worth it."
The morning after the parade, Adam texted his wife expressing gratitude.
"Thank you for making that memory with me yesterday," he wrote. "It's a day I will never forget."
Tracey said it's a day the entire family will never forget.
AN ABRUPT END
For most of
Tracey and Adam headed to their jobs; Adam was a sheetmetal worker and Tracey works for cable and Internet provider Rainier Connect in
Tracey said the couple texted throughout the day and Adam visited her at work as he frequently did. She saw him again that afternoon at home before she took Hunter to an appointment in
A text to Adam around 5:45 went unanswered. A call to his cellphone reached Baley, who eventually found his dad unconscious upstairs.
As Tracey raced home, a 911 dispatcher remotely helped Baley perform CPR on his dad until the paramedics arrived shortly after.
"I had a million thoughts," Baley said. "I didn't realize what was happening until after it happened."
Tracey showed up minutes before medics declared Adam dead, despite about 25 minutes spent trying to revive him. He had suffered cardiac arrest.
Adam was born with a heart defect that led to six heart surgeries throughout his childhood. His aortic valve was surgically replaced as a teen.
A routine trip to the cardiologist about five months ago showed he was healthy as anyone, his wife said.
His life ended quickly and without warning, something his family considers bittersweet.
"It sucks that we couldn't say goodbye," Tracey said, adding that they were all glad he didn't suffer.
She said those final moments reflected her husband's personality, as someone who loved being the center of attention.
"It was very Adam," Tracey said.
A FITTING FAREWELL
"I wanted it to be a party," she said. "I wanted it to be what Adam was."
It was a party fit for a superfan.
More than 300 people showed up in
Adam coached youth soccer, baseball and football and organized a Relay For Life team with his wife. He was known for helping friends fix things around their houses.
"Adam would help anyone at any time whether he knew them or not," Tracey said. "He loved our community and being involved with everything."
During the memorial service, Tracey's brother
A "tailgate" reception followed, with
Today, the family faces many unknowns. Their income has drastically dropped, and because of his pre-existing condition Adam didn't have life insurance.
Friends and community members have brought dinner every night since Adam's death.
Hunter recently fired up the grill for the first time, and family friends have taken the boys on outings they used to do with their dad, such as hiking. Tracey said everyone is trying hard to "fill some pretty big shoes they know can never be filled."
This summer, Baley said he's headed to a passing academy run by
His dad encouraged him to start playing football, and Baley grew to love it after a reluctant start.
As for continuing Adam's legacy as
Although he died young, Tracey said there's no doubt her husband died happy.
"We had a lot more life to live together," she said. "But his dream came true."
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