Dennis Allen Noren's Obituary
Dennis Allen Noren, age 80, passed away at his home on Tuesday, March 24, 2020. He was born in Grand Haven, Michigan on January 24, 1940. Dennis was class president at Muskegon Community College and from there graduated from Western Michigan University. He was a veteran of the United States Army. He became president of Noren Pattern prior to owning and operating Monarch Pattern Corp. After his retirement in 1983, he began to spread his wings taking on new hobbies and adventures. He had a love for world travel, recently taking an Alaskan Cruise with his family and celebrating his 80th birthday at Crystal Mountain. He had a love for the outdoors including fishing, sailing, walking, kayaking, cross country skiing, gardening and biking. In fact, at the age of 54, he decided to ride his bicycle across America, as well as, along the coast of California with his son Andy. He enjoyed spending time at his summer home on Drummond Island, fishing with his family and hosting neighborhood fish fry’s. More recently, you could often find him in his kitchen making his special spaghetti sauce or Swedish meatballs. He looked forward to hosting the family’s traditional Swedish Christmas Eve smorgasbord. When not in the kitchen, he spent time in his woodshop creating beautiful furniture, visiting an ice-cream shop or tearing up the dancefloor, dressed to the nines with his longtime partner, Debbie, of 22 years. Dennis was a member of Fruitport Congregational Church and often attended Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church. Dennis is survived by his four children, Julie (Greg) Martin, Andrew Noren, Emily (Gary) Peasley, and Sarah (Josiah) Luker; eight grandchildren, Eric, Elliott, and Emma Martin, Laney, Allie, Charley Peasley, Mia and Zoey Luker; two siblings, Jack (Jan) Ditmar and Sandra (Robert) Boyd. He was also survived by his loving companion, Debbie Okuly, and her four children. Dennis was a mentor and father figure for them. He was preceded in death by his parents, George Noren and Elise (Schember) Waltman; stepmother, Hazel Noren and brother, David Noren. Due to the COVID-19 virus outbreak concerning social distancing, private family services will be held at this time. A public CELEBRATION OF DENNIS’ LIFE with full military honors will be announced at a later date. MEMORIALS in memory of Dennis may be directed to Gracious Grounds (faith-based housing for people with unique abilities) or Every Woman’s Place.
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