Noreen Howard (nee FitzGerald—with a capital G)— was born in Edgewater, New Jersey, on June 18, 1933. The second of three children for Beatrice (Coxhill), a newly-poor socialite spitfire and James (Jack) FitzGerald, a handsome but broke police officer, Noreen was a precocious red head who trailed her older sister to class so many days in a row that the teachers finally gave in and let her start school two years early, resulting in her graduating at just 16 from Dwight Morrow High School.
She met the love of her life, Alan Howard, while working at Alan’s father’s shipping company in New York. Recently home from military service (spent to his delight on base in Paris), Alan was a nice Jewish boy from Brooklyn who shared her passion for music, movies, and musicals (stalls being the order of the day) and some of her upstart nature, rejecting his parents’ preference that he marry within the faith. They eloped and soon moved to Providence, RI, where Alan completed his PhD in mathematics, moved to Stanford during the height of the anti-war movement, and eventually settled in South Bend, Indiana, where Alan made a career at the University of Notre Dame, to the delight of Noreen’s Irish Catholic family.
Noreen conquered South Bend, just as she conquered everywhere else—with smarts, grit, charm, and a talent for helping others. While Alan taught, Noreen worked her way through the administrative offices of the county system, starting as a secretary for fiery Circuit Court Judge Montgomery and ending as head of the office for Michael P. Barnes, an ambitious young prosecutor who, among many other achievements, hired enough smart and fiery women to create an award-winning domestic violence prosecution program that was an early adopter of home video technology—by taking care to film victims’ statements while they were still visibly injured, the team substantially improved the county conviction rate. In South Bend, Noreen made lifelong friends, retiring with the key to the city. She then realized a lifelong dream of owning her own business and indulged her passion for decorating, opening the elegant Esprit Décor with her dear friend from crime-fighting days, Jill Houghton Truitt. She managed all of this while volunteering countless hours per year for favorite causes, most of them dedicated to improving child welfare.
When Alan retired, they moved to Williamsburg, VA, to be near their grandchildren, Nora and Djuna Knight. Noreen was delighted to further her decorating victories—remaking their home from a tame 1980s ranch into a show place rich with color, great furniture scored at consignment stores and flea markets, and glamour. Like all good houses, it was never done. She also found a home as a volunteer for Dream Catchers in Williamsburg, putting in many hours each week helping to run the front desk.
Throughout her life, in addition to her family and friends, she loved gardening, music, sports sports sports (basketball at all levels but especially ND women in recent years, college football, pro baseball, and all types of figure skating), and movies (Fred Astaire will forever be king). She made a family-favorite potato salad and cooked new recipes right up until the end—Ina and Giada being her go-to’s.
She dispensed love, help of all kinds, and advice in equal measure. She did not tolerate bullies, meanness, or small-mindedness. Stinginess of any kind was likewise a non-starter.
She was preceded in death by Alan, her oldest child and only son (Michael), her big sister Barbara and little brother Bill (Semper Fi).
She leaves behind sister-in- law Ann, nieces and nephews, including name-sake Noreen (daughter of Bill), daughters Emily (Mark Cobley) and Martha (Arthur Knight), grandchildren Nora and Djuna Knight, and many close friends to cherish her memory and to toast her with a gin and tonic on the porch of their choice. She will be missed by many.
A celebration of life will take place in June in Williamsburg. In lieu of flowers, please give someone a cup of tea and listen to their troubles, lend a helping hand to someone in whatever way, stand up for someone who is being pushed around, or contribute to the Hospice House of Williamsburg.
A memorial service to be held on June 27th.
