Norine R. McGeeney
Norine R. McGeeney, 53, has died of breast cancer. Loving daughter of Margaret and the late Charles McGeeney. Cherished sister of Michael and Marilyn McGeeney. Longtime friend of Sharon Zurek, R D Doherty, Kathy Gabriel, Suellen Semekoski and her many other close friends of ‘Team Norine’ who helped her through these most difficult times. Dear niece of Ruth Johnson. Interment Acacia Park Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorials to Inflammatory Breast Cancer Research at the University of Chicago Hospitals or Gilda’s Club of Chicago.
Norine was born in Oak Park Dec. 9, 1949 and raised on the northwest side of Chicago. She attended Carl Shurz High School. Norine, who admired her big brother, followed him into the Navy, where she served from 1969 to 1971, in Norfolk, Va., as a Photographer’s Mate. Norine was awarded the National Defense Service Medal.
She graduated Magna Cum Laude in 1978 from SIU with a Bachelor of Science in Sociology. She received her Master of Fine Arts in Photography from the University of Illinois, Chicago, in 1984. She returned for a Master of Science in Human Resources from Loyola University, where she graduated Cum Laude in 1992. Norine worked at Planned Parenthood as a counselor. She was an activist in education and literacy and believed in the possibilities of everyone.
Norine left a message Jan. 25 when she realized her fight would end soon: ‘You’ve heard the debate over mammograms, whether they are effective at determining breast cancer. I’m here to say, ‘Don’t depend on them.’ The health investigation of your breasts needs a more thorough, intensive examination. Get second and third opinions. Know your breasts at an early age! At any age, so you can spot irregularities. Demand a biopsy if you are uneasy at all at what is being or not being found. I trusted mammograms, the readers of my mammogram and one doctor. My breast cancer has now spread throughout my body. Trust in yourself—don’t be afraid to push the envelope. You are your biggest hope to live a long, healthy life. You can have a big part in saving your life.’