Noreen Margaret Troock December 10th 1934 – April 27th 2023

It is with great sadness that the family of Noreen Margaret Troock announces her peaceful passing on April 27th, 2023 at the age of 88. She is survived by her sons David (Bonnie) and Bill, Daughter Kim, Grandsons Sean (Nicole), Ryan (Leslie) and Dylan (Denise). She was predeceased by her husband Denis and daughter Marilyn Joan (Don). The family would like to thank the Unit 53 doctors, nurses and staff of the Grey Nuns Hospital for their kind and compassionate care. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation. Test not the validity of this story of Noreen’s long life, but it is accurate to the best of our knowledge!

Noreen was born on December 10th, 1934 in Edmonton to parents Thomas Wallace and Margaret Martha Bourk. Noreen and her two siblings Marilyn and Larry, moved frequently with their parents in the early years. Earliest recollections of home were in the Strathern district of Edmonton. Norwood on 96th street was next, then off to Westmount where her dad built a new home, then back to Norwood! Noreen attended various schools including Spruce Avenue School, Westmount School, Westglen School, Westglen High School (probably Gr 10) and Victoria High School (Gr 11 and 12), where we believe she graduated in the 1950-51 school year. There’s some mystery as to the where and what of her secondary education, but we do know she attended the University of Alberta at some point in her lifetime!

On October 3rd, 1953 Noreen married Denis Jerome Troock. The true tale of specifically how Mom & Dad met is lost in the sands of time and suspect memory, but it is believed Denis ‘hired on’ with Noreen’s Dad to do various yard work chores around their Norwood home, and hence ‘inveigled’ his way into the lives of the Bourk family! They lived, worked, loved, laughed, partied, and argued in equal doses! Heavily involved in annual family activities, Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter and a multitude of birthdays were big events! Travel was also a huge part of their lives. Travel to Disneyland and Hawaii were high on their list of favourites. Tales of their European trip (with Ronnie & Nancy) will remain firmly in memory – their eyes would sparkle at the retelling of the highlights and mishaps! Noreen particularly enjoyed travelling around Scotland, which she partook on a few occasions with cousin Doreen MacDonald. Noreen and Denis had a rich social life, indulging in various activities with friends and family. Marilyn & Spence Noble, Doug & Muriel Troock, Ronnie & Nancy Sloane (and family), Don & Doris Laver, Don & Merriam Stefan, Gordie & Donna Bradshaw were fixtures of their early social lives. This is from distant memory, so with apologies for errors and omissions! Dancing at the Trocadero Ballroom was the place to be early on! This was the era of Big Band music, and the Glenn Miller Orchestra was Noreen’s favourite! They enjoyed dancing immensely – you could tell when they would take to the dance floor at various functions they attended later in life! Noreen indulged in a wide range of leisure and sports activities, including Curling (both in the sport and administratively in the NALCA and CLCA. It was Denis who introduced her to curling), Highland Dancing (a penchant for which her children Bill, Kim and Marilyn shared!), bowling, music (Big Band, Honky Tonk, Ragtime were huge favourites) and singing! Two specific activities should be highlighted – Singing! Noreen had a remarkable voice, which she honed attending the Agnes Buckles Youth Chorus. Of particular note, Noreen, Marilyn (sister) and some unknown kid – Robert Goulet, performed Brigadoon at the Trocadero Ballroom! It was a massive hit! She would often receive requests to sing at weddings. Sewing! Noreen shone as a seamstress! She was sought after to make kilts for the Highland Dancing folks around Edmonton. She also made the most fantastic dresses and outfits. These included one’s made for the annual Klondike Days activities! The downside of having a Mom for a seamstress is handmade clothes for school – no fancy store-bought clothing for the Troock kids! We would be remiss if we didn’t speak to her long and varied employment history, as she loved working! She may have been the FIRST modern, working mother! Her first full-time employment was with CBC Radio, the offices of which occupied the MacDonald Hotel at the time. After the CBC, her employment history is virtually impossible to track, as she rarely took time to chat about her personal history, but rather focused on the ‘goings on’ around her! We do know her forte’ was in the arenas of human resources and payroll management – we suspect she honed these skills working for both the provincial and federal government during her career. She never sat still for too long, and spent many years working for various industrial and oil field industry firms, completing her career with Top-Co LP. She loved working, staying busy, and enjoyed interactions with the folks with whom she worked, building many lifelong friendships along the way.

To all those friends and family close to Noreen, we appreciate all you did to keep her sharp, witty, and active! It may be best to end our retelling of Mom’s life story by suggesting this Christmas, you indulge in watching her favourite movie ‘The Polar Express’, and give her a thought and a wink while doing so!