Mary C. (Baran) Norene, 81 of Taylor Springs, died on Saturday Aug. 5, 2023, at Hillsboro Area Hospital.
Visitation will be held at 12:30 to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 12, at Hough and Sons Funeral Home in Hillsboro a memorial service will follow at 2p.m., with Rev. Randy Sands and Pastor Jerry Woods officiating.
Mrs. Norene was born on Feb. 27, 1942, in Hillsboro to Edward and Ann Marie (Brown) Baran. She grew up in Taylor Springs, and graduated from Hillsboro High School in 1959 where she stared in several musicals. Mrs. Norene attended Browns Business College in St. Louis , MO,. She went on to become a legal secretary and eventually worked for a hospital in Maryland.
Mrs. Norene married Thomas Short and together they had two children Michael and David. They later divorced. She married William “Bill” Norene on Aug. 27, 1980, and they eventually moved to Hadlyme, CT. She became involved in the TOPS organization in Connecticut where she served as an officer for 33 years. Also while in Connecticut, she became involved in healthcare and obtained her Certified Nursing Assistants license. The couple returned to Hillsboro in 1998, and she began working for Litchfield Healthcare and Continuing Recovery Center in Irving.
Mrs. Norene is survived by a grandchild, Christina Short of Connecticut; brother, former Hillsboro Mayor William “Bill” Baran of Hillsboro.
In addition to her husband, she was preceded in death by her children, Michael T. and David Short; and stepchildren Wendy and David Norene.
The family suggests memorials be made to Bluff Cemetery or First United Pentecostal Church in Hillsboro.
Condolences may be left online at www.houghfuneralhome.com.
