A familiar face on the streets of downtown St. John's is no longer around.

Norman Courtney — more fondly known as Stormin' Norman — has passed away.

Courtney was a painter and plasterer before health problems got in the way of him working and he spent the latter years of his life on the streets in downtown St. John's.

Fogtown Barber and Shop employees were very close to Courtney, according to co-owner Mackenzie Geeham.

"We're really going to miss him. He spent a lot of time around here ... with our clients," she said.

Community member

In 2014, in an effort to raise money for Courtney, the team began printing and selling t-shirts with his face on them — with all proceeds going straight to him.

"We put the T-shirts out. We'd give him cash every single week for them," said Geeham.

"He bought a lot of food, a lot of Pepsi, a lot of pizza ... It was good. It was a good project for him."

Mackenzie Geeham, Fogtown Barber and Shop co-owner, gets emotional as she remembers Stormin' Norman. (Ted Dillon/CBC)

People who work downtown have also noticed his absence on the streets.

"I would see Norman everyday coming up for a coffee. I get my coffee at Tim Hortons every morning, and he would be there," said Stephen Smith.

"If he did ask for money ... he would say, 'Do you need some?' Which was funny. He was always watching for the parking attendants to make sure nobody was getting tickets for their cars," he said.

'He always had a smile'

Courtney was an inspiration to the people around him, according to Sarah Sloane, a sales associate at a downtown business.

"I'm a student so he always used to come by and tell me how, although he never got the opportunity to get an education himself, he was like ... 'You need to go and get an education,'" she said.

Sarah Sloane says Courtney never missed an opportunity to tell her to pursue an education. (Ted Dillon/CBC)

Courtney was content with what he had, according to Sloane.

"He seemed happy to me. He always had a smile," she said.