William "Bill" Noren

1960 - 2015

William "Bill" Noren
June 5, 1960 - January 5, 2015
Niles, CA
William "Bill" Noren died peacefully at Stanford Hospital on January 5, 2015 due to complications of a ruptured aorta and subsequent stroke. Bill lived in the Niles Community of Fremont with his wife Lola and son Skyler. The phrases "Gentle kindness," "Kind and gentle soul," "Sweet, unassuming, gentle, caring, wonderful father and husband" were some of the quotes received from friends and acquaintances upon hearing of his passing.
Bill was born to Don and Merillyn Noren in Concord, CA on June 5, 1960. He attended Lincoln Elementary, McKinley Junior High School and Sequoia High School in Redwood City. He attended Cañada College and San Jose State University to pursue his love of geology. He was an avid gold miner, taking his gold pan with him on camping trips and gold-mining excursions in the Sierra Foothills.
In the late 1990s He moved to Garberville, near Humboldt, where he received a certification in permaculture at the Heartwood Institute. To satisfy his love of adventure, in 1997 he journeyed to Australia where he lived in a tent, in the Australian bush, for a year. He came back with hundreds of stories and pictures of his travels.
He re-met his wife Lola at their twenty-year Sequoia high school reunion. They had gone to Junior High School and High School together. Not having attended any previous reunions, he came to that reunion because something inside him urged him to go. It was the same feeling for Lola, who did not want to attend, but something urged her to go. Having just returned from Australia that day and reading the invitation, he did not have time to clean up and put on a fancy outfit as he rushed out the door for the 5-hour drive from Garberville to the Bay Area. He arrived at the reunion with a long beard, a Hawaiian shirt, shorts and hiking boots. But he and Lola felt a connection they had never felt before, and soon fell in love.
They married in April 2002 and in September 2003 their beautiful son, Skyler was born. Bill was a baseball dad, helping coach his son's little league team. He was excited to help the kids and always encouraged them. For his son's 4th grade class, he shared his love and knowledge of gold mining. He taught his son the importance of cherishing and appreciating nature, protecting the environment, and being kind to others. Bill was always there for him and was an exceptional role model. His dream of retirement was to have acreage in a wooded area in Oregon and live off the land.
Bill is survived by his wife Lola, son Skyler, his mother Merillyn, sisters Kimberley Dawn Findley and Cheryl Webster, nephews Christopher Warren Haskins and Andrew James Haskins, and brother-in-law Roger Findley. A memorial service will be held on January 30 at 2 p.m. at Menlo Park Presbyterian Church, 950 Santa Cruz Avenue, Menlo Park. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Greenpeace. An educational trust has been set up for Bill's son Skyler and checks can be written to Skyler Z. Noren and sent to Lola Noren.