[1][2] Noreen Margaret Collins was born on 6 September 1925 at 82 Adelaide Road in Hampstead, London.
[3] Noreen was the eldest daughter of John Edmund Collins (1895–1971), a paint salesman, and Hilda Grace (née Gregory) (1901–1984).
[3] Collins was awarded a place at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford, but wartime regulations prevented her from taking up the offer.
[3] Collins married Edward Lucas Gardner (1912–2001), a barrister and recorder, in 1950.
[3] Noreen married Richard John Lowry (1924–2001), a barrister, on 24 April 1963.