Aged 89 · Nampa, Idaho
Sadie Noreen Sorensen Brien Hansen was born on June 26, 1935. The pioneer descendants, Douglas and Lette Sorensen, raised seven kids through the Great Depression in Driggs, Idaho. Noreen was the youngest, the only girl, and the only one born in a hospital.
Her childhood was not easy—she rode a winter sled to school, used an outhouse, and lived on a farm. Even with a houseful of brothers, Noreen celebrated being a girl. She loved everything flowers, bows, and sparkly pink, although they were hard to come by.
Noreen graduated from Teton High School and went on to pursue a nursing degree at Ricks College in Rexburg, Idaho. She graduated and became a registered nurse. Shortly after, she met a young professional baseball player, David Brien. They were married and moved to California.
Noreen had a professional career in nursing and had five children. She is survived by:
- Leisa (Jim) Hanks
- Steven Brien
- Shanda Gallagher
- Curtis (Natasha) Brien
- Elizabeth Walker
Her family moved to various places in California: Los Angeles, Roseville, and Lodi. Noreen’s professional career flourished at Lodi Memorial Hospital in Lodi, California, where she managed the Obstetrics Department and also worked in home health. Noreen always had many people surrounding her who loved her—at church, at work, and at home.
Noreen was single in 1993. Her circumstances allowed her to serve the LDS Church as a missionary. She served in the Little Rock, Arkansas Mission and finished her mission at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah. There, she reconnected with an old schoolmate, Kenneth Hansen.
In 2001, Noreen and Kenneth were married, and they lived in Nampa, Idaho. She spent the last part of her life in Nampa. She occupied herself with family history, socializing, old movies, sitting on the porch swing, and her grandbabies.
Her grandchildren who loved her:
Chelsea, David, Greg, and Steven Hanks
Chad, Chase, and Chloe Gallagher
Oliver, Porter, Sequoia, and Sadie Brien
Calista, Avery, and Kaje Walker
Also survived by 8 great-grandchildren.
In the last years of Noreen’s life, she needed a lot of care. She was unable to remain at her home and moved to an assisted living facility. True to every place she moved, Noreen made friends and loved the ward she attended. The nurses and other residents would express how much they adored Noreen. She loved to have visitors and to be surrounded by friends at all times.
Noreen passed away in her sleep on Friday, April 18, 2025, at Grace Assisted Living.
Noreen knew what she loved and what made her happy.
As her children, this is our wish for our mom:
We hope she is immersed by the fragrance of gardenias,
watching a plane fly overhead in a clear blue sky,
hearing Rachmaninoff play from the soundtrack of Somewhere In Time,
and feeling the delta breeze brushing past her cheek
while having her path lit by a lighthouse.
Be at peace, and we love you, Mom.
