Noreen A. Dooley passed suddenly from heart failure on the morning of Oct. 26, 2017.

Noreen was born on Feb 16, 1937 in Lompoc, Calif. to Delbert Paaske and Clara Ortiz Paaske. She grew up in Santa Barbara. She went to Berkeley to study pre-med in the 1950s. Throughout her life, Noreen continually reinvented herself, engaging in many occupations: biofeedback technician, furniture and home design, and crew on a feature film. She was a business administrator, and she started a high school as well as pioneering the charter school system in California. Noreen helped hundreds of children and inspired all around her with her kindness, never-ending generosity, and service to her community. 

Noreen is survived by her daughters Kathleen Henry, Andrea Dooley and Gabrielle DeNevyn, as well as her grandson, Paul Henry, and the countless others whose lives she touched. A celebration of Noreen’s life will be held at the Arcata Veteran’s Memorial Building on December 2nd at 2 p.m.

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The obituary above was submitted by Noreen Dooley’s family. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here.