"I equally celebrate my wife, Gena, during this Mother's Day week. Gena helps me run all my enterprises," wrote Norris.
Editor's note: This article was originally published on October 20, 2022. It has since been updated.
Actor and martial artist, Chuck Norris is thankful for not one but two women in his life: his wife, Gena O Kelley, and his mother, Wilma Norris Knight. On the occasion of his mother's 100th birthday, Norris wrote a memorable tribute to her in WND. He shared her life story and wrote about the difficulties she faced. "She was raised in abject poverty, and she was given away as a ward of the state when she was only 8 years old. She was treated for two years for a rare disease, living away from the family in a children's hospital." He added that when she returned healthy a few years later, she had to live through the Great Depression. Her entire family used to pick cotton in fields just to survive, he wrote.
Wilma was married when she was 16 years old and later abandoned with three boys to raise. He wrote that being the eldest, he had to often take up the role of his absent father. He revealed that they were poor but "that's what also prepared me to overcome the obstacles of this life". Norris also shared that his mother is the last survivor of her 11-member biological family. "She's had cancer repeatedly and has gone through roughly 30 different surgeries for a host of issues — and yet she's still here to tell about it," he wrote.
He opened up that his mother has prayed for him all his life. "When I was born, I almost died from complications. When nearly losing my soul to Hollywood a few decades ago, she was back home praying for my success and salvation. She even prayed for me to find a woman to change my life, and it worked," Norris wrote.
Norris and Gena celebrated 22 years of marriage in November 2020. He took to Instagram to share his thoughts about his wife. "22 years ago I became the luckiest man in the world when Gena and I got married. Happy Anniversary my beautiful wife! There are no words to describe my love and appreciation for you. Thank you for sharing your life with me. I praise God for every day we are together."
In the tribute to his mother, he also mentions his wife. " I equally celebrate my wife, Gena, during this Mother's Day week. Gena helps me run all my enterprises and is CEO of our new artesian bottled water company, CFORCE. But most of all she is the mother of our twins, the love of my life, and my best friend."
He concluded the tribute by writing, "I love you, Mom! Happy 100th birthday! And Happy Mother's Day, Mom and Gena! I thank God for you both every day! And I thank you for helping God to make me all I can and should be."
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Cover Image Source: Instagram/ Chuck Norris
