Notre Dame Sister taught at Holy Family in Honolulu for five years
Sister Noreen (Catherine) Cain, a Sister of Notre Dame de Namur for 63 years, who taught at Holy Family School in Honolulu for five years, died at Mercy Retirement and Care Center in Oakland on Dec. 14. She was 90.
Sister Noreen lived with Parkinson’s disease for many years, and even when that confined her physically, she continued to find God in the mysteries of the natural world around her.
Born on May 12, 1925, Sister Noreen learned to drive at age 12. Later, when one of her brothers served in World War II, she signed up as a driver to support the local war effort. She continued to enjoy driving, traveling the Bay Area’s back roads, capturing the beauties of nature through photography and sharing with others her knowledge of California’s scenic spots.
After graduating from Notre Dame High School in Alameda, she attended California State University Chico and taught in Oakland public schools before entering the convent.
For 32 years, she provided strong, creative leadership in Notre Dame elementary schools in California, the Northwest and Hawaii. She especially enjoyed her five years at Holy Family School near Pearl Harbor and her 11 years at Mission Dolores School in San Francisco.
Sister Noreen later coordinated the Tutorial Center at the College of Notre Dame in Belmont, and assisted students there for more than a decade. Calm, focused, appreciative and easygoing, she made life-long friends among students, parents, faculty and staff wherever she served.
Sister Noreen is survived by her brother Msgr. James E. Cain, nieces, nephews, grandnieces and nephews, and will be remembered by her many former students and her Sisters of Notre Dame. Her funeral was Dec. 21 at Notre Dame Province Center.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Sisters of Notre Dame, 1520 Ralston Avenue, Belmont, CA 94002 or online at snddenca.org.
