Noreen Elizabeth Collins passed peacefully in her sleep in the early morning hours of May 18, 2026.  She was 91 years old.

Noreen was born on July 4, 1934 in Erie, Pennsylvania as the first child of Gilbert and Elizabeth (Bette Eichenlaub) Knoll. Her brother and only sibling, Gilbert Jr. (Gil), was born three years later. 

Growing up, Noreen was quite the tomboy, spending most of her days out in the countryside, climbing trees and collecting frogs and snakes to bring home, much to the dismay of her mother. The family eventually moved into town when her parents took over a neighborhood tavern.  Gil Sr. ran the bar, Bette was in charge of the restaurant, and the family lived in the cozy upstairs apartment.  

Noreen attended Villa Maria Academy, an all-girls high school, where she made many lifetime friends. Noreen was always very sociable and loved attending school dances.  In her senior year, friends arranged for Noreen to attend a St. Patrick’s Day dance on a blind date at nearby Gannon College. Little did she know that the date was with the man who would later become her husband. 

It was clear that Noreen and William (Bill) Collins were instantly attracted to one another. They became inseparable and married later that same year in November 1955. Noreen and Bill initially lived in Coronado, California where Bill was stationed with the Navy following his service aboard an aircraft carrier in the Pacific. They later settled on Long Island where Bill accepted an engineering job and the two raised their four children: Julie, Brian, Dean, and Gary.

While they enjoyed life on Long Island, playing golf, spending time with their children and friends on favorite local beaches, and vacationing in New England, Noreen and Bill grew tired of the East Coast winters and never forgot how much they loved living in California. Following their “California Dream,” they eventually moved to Cupertino, California in 1977. As the children began leaving home, Noreen started volunteering as a “Candy Striper” at a local hospital and took a job as an Executive Assistant at Sandoz where she worked until retiring in 1996.  

After losing Bill to cancer in 1993, Noreen started to get restless and considered where she wanted to spend the next chapter of her life.  Following her retirement, Noreen relocated to Vancouver, Washington in 1997, where her two sons, Brian and Gary, had settled. Noreen moved into a 55+ community where she spent her days there doing her favorite things: socializing and traveling with new friends, playing golf almost daily, participating in the community’s theatre group, and shopping at the local farmer’s market for the seasonal berries to make her famous jams and pies. Having survived three bouts of cancer during her lifetime, Noreen lived her life as if each day was not to be wasted and it was while living in Vancouver that Noreen leaned heavily into her adventurous spirit, taking international and/or domestic trips each year. One of her favorite trips was to Alaska where Noreen toured a sled dog company that trained dogs for the Iditarod and flew in a small prop plane that took her to one of the state’s famous glaciers.  

Noreen was an avid football fan, cheering on her favorite San Francisco 49ers and Pittsburgh Steelers. She loved baking, especially around the holidays, and making family gifts like the sports-themed fleece blankets that she made everyone one year for Christmas.  

Noreen is survived by her brother, her four children, 10 grandchildren, one great-grandchild, along with many nieces and nephews.

The family wishes to thank the nurses and staff at the PeaceHealth hospice team who were so kind and supportive of us and Noreen during her final days. We encourage you to make a donation to PeaceHealth in Noreen’s memory to support their work so that they can continue to provide such meaningful care to other patients and families in need.