Noreen M. Thomas

Noreen M. Thomas (Romenesko) of Appleton, WI passed away on Thursday, June 6, 2024 just before her 70th birthday at Cherry Meadows. She was cared for the past 2 years by her husband of 27 years, Tommie Thomas in their home. Prior to being diagnosed with frontal lobe dementia in 2022, and in the end, liver cancer, Noreen had a zest for life. 

She was the youngest of nine children and the daughter of Clement and Alice Romenesko of Appleton, Wisconsin. Her love of animals started when she was just a little girl when the family barn caught on fire and tended to the farm cats’ singed paws. Ever since that moment, the stars aligned that she would become a nurse. And oh my goodness, what a nurse she was! She finished top of her class at Bellin College and was even approached by a nun to become a doctor while getting her BSN at St. Scholastica, MN. She might have even followed that route had she not already had a little girl at home. She started working as a nurse at Saint Elizabeth hospital in Appleton in the late 1970s but found her true calling was working with the elderly in nursing homes throughout the Fox Valley starting in the 1990s. She was also caregiver for her mother in her last years. Her medical knowledge was an asset to her family and saved the life of her husband, Tommie during his bout with cancer.

Noreen loved animals. Dogs would often wander away from their owners and approach her for love. Her Brussels Griffon, Bubba, is still barking and ripping up mail. Her other dogs went by variations on the name Mork (Mork and Mindy). She also owned many parakeets over the years and was drawn to the name Sweetie time and time again.

In her free time, she adored live music and attended as many festivals and local concerts as possible. She also was dedicated to her fitness and health and would ride 20 miles a day on her bicycle late into her 60s. 

She is survived by her husband, Tommie Thomas; her only child, Sonya Ropson (Schilcher); her brothers, Dean Romenesko and Delbert Romenesko; and her sisters, Bonnie Byford, June Geiger and Beverly Romenesko. 

Friends and family can pay their respects at Paperfest on Friday, July 19, 2024 at the main amphitheater. 

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Friends of Peninsula State Park For Now and For the Future Fund using the link below.

Donate: https://peninsulastatepark.org/donate/