Noreen C. Moran

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Noreen C. Moran, age 76, of Warwick, RI passed away at the Kent Hospital in Warwick, RI this past Saturday, August 11th after a long illness.

Born in Springfield, MA on December 20, 1941 to Rita (Danahey) Moran and William J. Moran, Noreen grew up in Chicopee Falls, MA. In 1959, upon graduating from Cathedral High School, Noreen entered religious life with the Sisters of St. Joseph. She would remain with the order for the next 36 years.

Known then as Sr. Rita William, Noreen taught mathematics at St. Mary’s School in Milford, MA, St. Rose of Lima School in Warwick RI, Sacred Heart School in Pittsfield, MA and Cathedral High School in Springfield, MA. In 1975, she relocated to Kenya, East Africa where she taught for three years at The Sengera Girl’s Secondary School. Her experience in Africa had a profound impact on the rest of her life.

Upon her return to the United States, she taught at Sacred Heart School in Pittsfield until she left to attend St. Vincent’s School of Nursing in Worcester where she received her nursing diploma and became a registered nurse.

In addition to a B.A. in Mathematics, she earned a B.S. in Nursing from Our Lady of the Elms College, Chicopee. In 1990, Noreen earned a certificate from the Frontier School of Midwifery and Family Practice in Kentucky. In 1991, she graduated from Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio with a M.S. in Nursing and worked as a certified nurse midwife in the Providence, RI area hospitals. Over her illustrious career as a midwife, Noreen delivered over 645 babies in various ob-gyn practices and hospitals in the greater Providence area and each one delivered held a special place in her heart. She maintained her many friends both in and out of religious life and managed to balance her love of family, former students and friends with her strong faith in God and the practice of nursing until her illness prevented her from working in a field she loved.

She leaves her brothers: David of Naples, FL, Paul and wife Ann of Charleston, WV and many nieces and nephews. Noreen was predeceased by her grandniece Sarah Rose Carlino of Lee, MA, her brother Peter, of Charleston, WV as well as both parents.

Her funeral will be held on Saturday, August 18, at 9 a.m. from the Barrett & Cotter Funeral Home, 1328 Warwick Avenue, Spring Green, Warwick, with a Mass of Christian Burial at 10 a.m. in St. Clement Church, 111 Long Street, Warwick. Relatives and friends are invited, and may visit at the funeral home on Saturday from 8-9 a.m. Burial will be in the family cemetery plot in St. Mary Cemetery, Westfield, MA. www.barrettandcotter.com