Seaneen Noonan, ER nurse and Piner booster, dies at 64

Only her dedication to emergency room nursing rivaled Seaneen Noonan’s passion for basketball at Piner High School, where she was a fixture in the stands cheering on her three sons during an eight-year stretch when she never missed a game.

Noonan died June 25 at the age of 64. Her family said she died unexpectedly in her sleep of natural causes after suffering a heart attack several years ago.

She raised three sons as a single mother and passed on to them her love for sports. During the years all three played varsity sports at Piner High School, she was the ultimate fan. From 1996 to 2004, she attended every Piner basketball game.

Her son, Army Maj. Ryan Durling, remembers her pride in being a Piner basketball mom. And he remembers how she would cheer them through a ?7 p.m. game and then head to work a night shift in the emergency room.

She took pride in watching her sons play on Piner teams that dominated Cardinal Newman and Montgomery, the traditional powerhouses, Durling said. “She liked that her boys got to be part of changing the status quo of basketball in her town.”

Having her in the stands, he added, offered her sons a special sense of confidence.

“It was like you couldn’t lose. She was there fighting the war with you. You weren’t alone,” Durling said.

Noonan was born in San Francisco but moved to Santa Rosa before her first birthday. She grew up in the Grace Tract, attending St. Eugene and Proctor Terrace elementary schools before graduating from Santa Rosa High School in 1973.

One of five siblings in a family focused on sports, she was raised as a competitor, both as a swimmer for Santa Rosa Neptunes and in the classroom.

Her mother, Caroline Noonan, a legendary obstetrics nurse at Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital, was known for speaking her mind to doctors and patients alike. Noonan followed in her footsteps and emulated her style after earning her nursing degree from California State University, Fresno in 1977.

For more than 40 years, Noonan worked in emergency rooms throughout Sonoma County including Santa Rosa Memorial, Petaluma Valley, Kaiser and Sutter. She taught nursing at Santa Rosa Junior College and the satisfaction she took in training other nurses led her to Sacramento, where she was working as a critical care nurse educator in the emergency department at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

Colleagues there described her tenacity as a mentor and her visible love of nursing, especially in the hands-on teaching done bedside.

“She was encouraging and supportive in making sure we held our standards high. She was so knowledgable - the smartest and most clinically competent nurse I know,” said Montina Alford, who worked with Noonan for seven years.

“She loved the veterans and she made sure we took care in ensuring their needs came first. Her connection with the veterans was unique. With her sense of humor, she really was able to build that trusting relationship you need as a nurse.”

Noonan is survived by her sons, Ryan Durling of Fort Lee, Virginia; Jared Durling of Murietta; Keith Durling of Santa Rosa and her grandson. Jalen Durling of Fort Lee, Virginia. She also leaves her siblings Andrew Noonan and Maridee Noonan, both of Santa Rosa; Carrie Noonan, of Boulder, Colorado; and Pat Noonan, of Concord.

Memorial services are 11 a.m. Wednesday, July 24 at Daniels Chapel of the Roses. A reception will follow at 2 p.m. at La Rosa Taquileria.