(Note: This obit was written by Brandon Burt)
Noreen Rathbone was born May 16, 1923, in Liverpool, England. Noreen was educated in Switzerland and, after dodging German bombs in London for a time, she immigrated in 1946 to the United States aboard the liner Queen Elizabeth, accompanied by her cat Sherry. Upon settling in Deland, Fla., Noreen accumulated an impressive menagerie within and around her farmhouse. This house became a gathering place for artists, intellectuals and students from Stetson University, discoursing until very late at night. It was here that Noreen met longtime companion Lori Arnall-Tessman; the two maintained close ties for the rest of Noreen’s life. Noreen moved to Salt Lake City in 1963, where she studied art at Westminster College. She became an accomplished painter with a style influenced by modernism and primitive art. She loved spending time in Utah’s mountains and the Southwestern desert and was an avid hiker, backpacker and cross-country skier. Noreen loved animals and was surrounded at all times by four-legged, feathered, finned–and sometimes scaly–friends. She was deeply concerned for the welfare of Earth’s creatures and was a longtime supporter of Best Friends Animal Sanctuary. She enjoyed gardening and, in later life, traveled the world with her friends and family. She enjoyed time at home, too, and frequently entertained relatives from England and Canada. Noreen was devoted to her family and eagerly looked forward to these visits. Noreen died peacefully in her sleep at 1:00 in the morning on Nov. 27. In life, she said that when she died, she did not want a funeral but, rather, a party. Family, friends and loved ones will gather to celebrate her life at 4:00 in the afternoon, Sun. December 9, at Noreen’s house at 2610 East 6200 South, Holladay. Since her death, several friends have mentioned Noreen’s gift for bringing people together who otherwise might not have met. Noreen’s legacy includes many enduring friendships among those she left behind–and, if the state of the world can be judged by the amount of love existing in it, her contribution is immeasurable.
