Mark Cuban can buy almost anything. He has owned an NBA team and sat across from hopeful founders on national television. Yet the man he keeps crediting in interviews spent decades bent over car seats in a Pittsburgh trim shop.
Mark himself has said his father never earned more than about $40,000 in a year, and that he did upholstery on cars for a living. At 14, Mark spent time working beside him in the shop. The point wasn’t to learn the craft. It was to see what it costs to hand your hours to someone else.
That man was Norton Cuban. His friends called him “Norty.” This is his story.
Quick Facts
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full name | Norton Cuban (“Norty”) |
| Born | April 8, 1926, New York City |
| Died | July 10, 2018, Dallas, Texas (age 92) |
| Roots | Russian-Jewish immigrant family; the surname was reportedly Chabenisky before it became Cuban |
| Spouse | Shirley (née Feldman) |
| Children | Mark, Brian, and Jeff |
| Occupation | Auto upholsterer; co-owned a trim shop with his brother Marty; earlier managed a record store |
| Military service | U.S. Navy Seabee, WWII (Okinawa); recalled for the Korean War |
| Homes | Pittsburgh area (Scott Township, then Mount Lebanon); Dallas from about 2000 |
Immigrant Roots: From Chabenisky to Cuban
Norton’s parents were working-class Russian-Jewish emigrants. Brian Cuban wrote that Norton was born in New York City, the middle of three brothers, and that his father Morris sold baked goods door-to-door in the Bronx.
The family’s original name appears in several biographies. The Cubans were reportedly named Chabenisky before the change. Some sites say Morris came through Ellis Island and shortened the name there. One outlet reports that story, but I found no firsthand account confirming it, so treat that detail as family lore.
What is clear is the atmosphere Norton grew up in. It was a household built on selling, hustling, and showing up. That mindset traveled a long way down the family tree.
Military Service: Okinawa and a Second Call-Up
Norton belonged to what people call the greatest generation. Brian says his father was a Navy Seabee in a construction battalion sent to the Battle of Okinawa, and later to Korea.
Seabees built roads, airfields, and bases. They were not front-line infantry. But Okinawa was brutal enough that, according to what Norton told his sons, the sheer number of dead led to Seabees being handed rifles.
He rarely talked about it. Brian recalls only one story he loved to tell. When Norton was recalled for Korea, he was so angry that the military police nearly had to escort him to the induction depot in handcuffs.
It is a funny story. It also shows a man who had already given his share and did not hide his feelings about being asked again.
Trim Shop Years and the Accident That Cost Him an Eye
After the war, Norton managed a National Record Mart in downtown Pittsburgh. Then he settled in with his brother Marty to run a trim shop in Pittsburgh’s Brookline area.
They reupholstered seats and installed convertible tops for dealerships along West Liberty Avenue. Mark has described the schedule plainly. Norton worked six days a week, leaving around 7 or 7:30 in the morning and getting home at 6 or 7 in the evening. That is close to twelve hours a day, six days a week, for years.
The work also cost him physically. A staple broke while he was fastening fabric onto a car seat, and he lost an eye in the accident. The sources I found don’t say which eye it was or give details about a prosthetic, so I’m leaving those out.
Mark took a lesson from watching this. His dad’s body paid the price for a job that never made him rich. That shaped how Mark thought about education, ownership, and working for himself.
Shirley, the Boys, and the Family Rule
Norton married Shirley Feldman. Together they raised three sons: Mark (born 1958), Brian (born 1961), and Jeff. The family lived first in Scott Township, then in Mount Lebanon.
Summers meant driving to the Catskills. Money was not loose, but the house had a rule that mattered more than money.
Brian remembers it this way. Norton stressed that no matter where life took them, the three brothers had to look after each other, call each other, say “I love you,” and check that everyone was okay. Loyalty came first, and it wasn’t up for debate.
Norton never went to college himself. He made sure his sons did.
The Day Brian Told His Father the Truth
This is the part of Norton’s story that many readers remember most.
Brian Cuban has been open about addiction, an eating disorder, and depression. His sobriety date is April 8, 2007, which is also his father’s birthday. About a week after hitting bottom, Brian went to his father’s apartment, sat on the couch, and finally broke down. He had hidden his pain for a lifetime.
Norton did not lecture him. He cried, hugged Brian, and told him to move in for as long as he needed. In Brian’s 2018 tribute, he recalled the promise that they would get through it together.
Norton lived to see his son recover. Brian said he was proud that his father saw him come out the other side.
The $3 Garbage Bags
At 12, Mark wanted expensive basketball shoes. His father told him that if he wanted them, he needed a job and could buy them himself.
The idea came from a friend at Norton’s poker game. The friend sold Mark boxes of garbage bags for $3, and Mark resold them door-to-door for $6. He also told customers to call him whenever they ran out, which gave him repeat business.
Mark later called it a garbage-bag subscription company. It taught him margins, follow-up, and how to knock on a stranger’s door. Norton didn’t give him the money. He gave him the lesson.
“Today Is the Youngest You’ll Ever Be”
Norton had a favorite line. Mark has said his father repeated it over and over: today is the youngest you’ll ever be. Brian still quotes it too.
For Mark, it meant not waiting. After selling his first company in 1990, he didn’t pile up money. He chose freedom and time. He used the sale to buy a lifetime American Airlines pass and travel, then eventually built bigger businesses.
The idea is simple. You don’t get this day back, so don’t spend it on a life you don’t want.
Milestones That Made Him Cry
Mark has said that when he told his father he had made $100,000 in a year, Norton cried. That story circulates widely, though I couldn’t trace it to a primary interview. Given that his dad never topped roughly $40,000 in a year, the reaction makes sense.
The bigger gift was time. Mark bought the American Airlines lifetime pass in 1990 for $125,000, then later upgraded it. He eventually transferred it to his father.
For a man who worked six-day weeks for decades, that meant something. Norton retired and traveled. Brian said his father saw much of the world once Mark hit it big, and that if anyone earned that, it was Norton.
Dallas, a Championship, and the Final Years
Norton moved to Dallas around 2000, after Mark bought the Mavericks. He also got to celebrate the team’s 2011 NBA championship in Miami.
Even in Dallas, he stayed out of the spotlight. Basketball star Dirk Nowitzki reportedly came to his funeral and had a nickname for him: “Papa Cubes”.
The last two years were hard. Dementia took the essence of the dad Brian knew. Norton died on July 10, 2018, at 92. Brian said his heart simply gave out.
His last words to Brian were simple. Two days before he lost consciousness, about a week before he died, he told Brian he loved him.
The Norton Cuban Foundation
Norton’s name lives on in a charity. The Norton Cuban Foundation is listed as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization based in Dallas. It shares a street address with the Mark Cuban Foundation.
The public listing I found doesn’t spell out its programs. Reports describing a focus on youth education and helping people in need should be checked against the foundation’s own filings before you publish them.
Timeline of Norton Cuban’s Life
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1926 | Born April 8 in New York City |
| 1940s | Serves as a Navy Seabee; deployed to Okinawa |
| Early 1950s | Recalled for the Korean War |
| 1950s | Manages a record store, then joins Marty at a Pittsburgh trim shop |
| 1958 | Son Mark is born |
| 1961 | Son Brian is born |
| 1990 | Mark buys a lifetime flight pass, later passed to Norton |
| About 2000 | Moves to Dallas after Mark buys the Mavericks |
| 2007 | Brian tells him about his addiction; Norton offers him a home |
| 2011 | Celebrates the Mavericks’ NBA title in Miami |
| 2014 | Mark quotes his “youngest you’ll ever be” advice at SXSW |
| 2018 | Dies July 10 in Dallas, age 92 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was Norton Cuban?
He was an auto upholsterer, Navy veteran, and father of Mark, Brian, and Jeff Cuban. He worked most of his life in Pittsburgh before retiring in Dallas.
Did Norton Cuban serve in the military?
Yes. According to Brian, he was a Navy Seabee sent to Okinawa in World War II and was later recalled for Korea.
How did Norton Cuban lose his eye?
A staple broke while he was working on a car seat, and he lost the eye. He kept working long hours in the trade afterward.
What was Norton Cuban’s most famous piece of advice?
“Today’s the youngest you’re ever going to be.” Mark and Brian have both repeated it publicly.
How did Norton Cuban die?
He died on July 10, 2018, in Dallas at 92. The family said his health had been failing, and Brian said his heart gave out.
Is there a Norton Cuban Foundation?
Yes, a Norton Cuban Foundation is listed as a Dallas-based 501(c)(3). Check its official filings for its current programs.
Final Thoughts
Norton Cuban never got rich, and he never wanted to be famous. He worked long days, lost an eye to the job, and still came home ready to be a father.
His sons remember him for the moments that cost nothing: a hug, a rule about brothers, a shove toward earning your own way. That is a fair measure of a life.
Also Read: Yulanda Simon: Who She Is and Why She Stays Out of the Spotlight
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