Nola Lorengo

1948 - 2015

On Monday, July 13, 2015, Folgers Coffee stock price fell sharply on the news of Nola Lorengo's passing.
Senior executives at Folgers called an emergency meeting to brace for the impact of an anticipated drop in sales. Suspect taste in coffee (and our satire) aside, Nola would want it known she died as a result of being stubborn, refusing to follow doctors' orders and taking care of absolutely everyone else for more than six decades. 
She always had room in her heart for one more friend, and the heart that seemed to know no bounds was, ironically, too tired to carry on.
Nola Ann Lorengo (Gordon) was born in Butte, Montana, on the first day of February 1948 to Katherine Gordon (McDevitt) and Voyde Gordon, the third of seven siblings. Nola attended St. Mary's and St. Lawrence's elementary schools and Butte High School. It was at Butte High where she met her future husband, Victor Lorengo. 
After Vic's deployment and return from Vietnam, they were married Aug. 10, 1968, at St. Mary's Church in Butte. Their little family was soon added to by the birth of Jerry in 1970, Jim in 1973 and because the world can never have too few Lorengos, Jason in 1980. As can be clearly seen, Nola had a soft spot for alliteration in the naming of her boys. This, unfortunately would frustrate her every time she had to get the attention of (yell at) one of her kids. For example, upon finding Jerry disassembling the family television, she said, "Jim, Jason … Jerry, gaaah!" 
As a hardworking mom, Nola leveraged her gift of the gab by working as a bartender most of her adult life and was, along with her husband, Vic, an avid bowler. The world will be a poorer place without her amazing potato salad and delicious Shirley Temples.
In 1986, the Lorengo family embarked on a quest for better opportunities and left Butte behind. Whether it be Winnemucca, Hawthrone or Elko, Nevada, Nola wasted no time gathering new people into her life, connecting at a deep level with each person she allowed into her heart. Some of those friends, a few years new, and decades old, joined her at her bedside for the final goodbye. 
Of her final home in North Pole, she was commonly heard to remark, "We should have moved here years ago." The emptiness left and the silence felt at Nola's passing is a reminder that the best things in life are ephemeral and should be nurtured and cherished without regret while they can.
With our memories full and our hearts broken, we must now live for the person who once selflessly lived for us. A mother, a wife, a sister and a friend, Nola was a solid foundation for our footing. She will be forever missed and never forgotten. 
Nola was preceded in death by her father, Voyde; mother Kate, brother John, brother Owen, and infant sister Louise. 
Nola is survived by her husband, Victor Lorengo, of North Pole, and three sons, Jerry Lorengo (Supriya Baily), of Oakton, Virginia; James Lorengo (Christy Van Campen),  of Denver, Colorado; and Jason Lorengo (Nicole Lorengo), of Lompoc, California. She also is survived by her brother, Michael Gordon; sisters Cathy Scarff and Mary Pat Roooney, as well as her grandchildren, Nishaad, Mrinaal, Areia, Kaiya and Victor. 
A gathering for her many Alaska friends will be held in the Fairbanks area at a later date to be announced. The family asks in lieu of flowers, a donation be made to the giver's charity of choice.
Please visit www.legacy.com/obituaries/newsminer to sign an online guest book.