In the early hours of January 17, 2024, Noreen Penn gently left this earthly realm to join her loving husband and family waiting for her in heaven.

Noreen is survived by her children Cynthia Potter and husband Eddie, Deborah Weinberger and husband Charles, Timothy Penn, and Thomas Penn, their four grandchildren, Carrie Immekus and husband Chad, Jonathan Potter and wife Lacey, Sara Potter, Eric Potter and wife Ashley, and their seven great-grandchildren.

Maga, as she was affectionately known by the grands and great grands, was born in Lowell, MA on September 30, 1932, the second eldest of 10 siblings born to Thomas and Nora Keohane.  She grew up on Mt. Vernon St. in Springfield, in her large and rambunctious Irish family, and attended St. Agnes High School.  She was known for her loving service to those in need, and began as a young girl, first as a high school candy striper at the old St. John's hospital, and as a volunteer at The Polio Cottage, a polio isolation ward set up in a small house on Jefferson Ave.

Noreen and her husband Paul were people of profound Catholic faith and were founding members of Immaculate Conception Parish in 1957.  Noreen helped start The Kitchen for the homeless, served on the first Kitchen board, and enlisted her mother Nora to cook the first meal served.  She was instrumental in raising the first funds to buy the old Missouri Hotel on Commercial St. to house homeless women and children.  As her volunteer work grew, she took on more defined and professional roles representing Catholic women.  She was the Diocesan President of the St. Vincent de Paul Society, served as the last President of the Parish Council of Catholic Women in their old Parish at St. John's Nursing Home gym, and the first President of the Parish Council of Catholic Women at their new church, Immaculate Conception.  She was President of the Regional Council of Catholic Women for Regions 3 and 4, President of the Diocesan Council of Catholic Women and Province Director for the National Council of Catholic Women for the Province of St. Louis, representing all Catholic women of Missouri on the national board in Washington DC.  She was one of the first women to be a National Trustee of the St. Vincent de Paul Society.  She served as Church Community Chair on Parish, Diocesan and National levels, and continued to serve into her 80th decade.  She made the first Women's Cursillo in the diocese and served as Lay Director of Cursillo.  During the early years of the AIDS crisis, when those suffering with this illness were shunned and alone, she served as President of the Interfaith Aids Society, along with her good friend Rabbi Rita and other faith leaders and delivered meals to patients, sitting with them, holding their hands, bringing comfort and compassion.

Juggling all these roles, she was the dearest loving mother, wife, daughter, sister, grandmother, auntie and friend to many.  She was known for hosting happy gatherings at their lake home and their Springfield home, setting beautiful tables and her door was always open.  She set an empty place every Thanksgiving just in case someone in need should appear.  She was amazingly fun, full of joy, loved to dance and never a dull moment when she was around.  She was a mean water skier, a bridge player, a world traveler, and an adventurer of the body and the soul.  She is sorely missed.

The Prayer Service and Visitation will be held at Gorman-Scharpf Funeral Home in Springfield on February 5 at 6:30pm.  Funeral Mass will be held at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church on February 6 at 10:30 am, followed by burial at Resurrection Cemetery.  A dinner hosted by the Women's Council of Immaculate Conception will follow the burial.

In lieu of flowers donations may be made to Immaculate Conception Saint Vincent DePaul Society.