Charles Noble

Charles Calvin “Cal” Noble, of Libby, died Wednesday, April 22, 2015, at the Precious Care Assisted Living facility, in Anchorage, Alaska.

He was born on Jan. 17, 1932, to Charles Noble and Myrtle Noble Clark in Warland. Cal attended school in Warland and worked on the family’s ranch where he developed his never-ending love for the beauty and wildlife of northwest Montana. 

Cal served his local community in many practical, caring ways. If someone was in need, he did his best to assist. In addition, he served his country at a military base in California, where he drove ambulances for the United States Army.

On Oct. 4, 1958, Cal married Genevieve Rose Hayden. Their lives were blessed with four children.

His many skills allowed him to excel in a variety of employment positions including logging, fighting forest fires, sawyer, management and operating heavy equipment. He worked 28 years in various capacities for the State of Montana, the majority of which he served as supervisor of the highway department in Libby. Once he retired he worked for local contractors and the Lincoln County Highway Department operating heavy equipment.

He longed to be a pastor. After raising his family, God blessed him with opportunities to minister in ways that surprised even him. He travelled to Haiti on several occasions to assist at Haitian Christian Missions, a ministry he cared for deeply. He also served as an elder at Libby Christian Church and as a pastor to its seniors. His love for people, in addition to his ability to empathize, guided him during his service as a chaplain at St. John’s Lutheran Hospital. Additionally, he provided devotions for his residents at the Libby Care Center and friends at Treasure Mountain Manor.

In his free time, Cal loved hunting in northwestern and eastern Montana with his friends, and fishing in Montana, Alaska and even Guam. He took pride in his Labrador retrievers, Radar and Lucy. He was known to brag about his vegetable garden, especially those big red tomatoes he shared with others. He remained physically active through his first 75 years of life, enjoying hiking, running, camping, swimming, biking and playing horseshoes with friends. And then there were those very creative, practical jokes. Maybe someday a book will be published containing those accounts.

Cal was preceded in death by his wife of 49 years, Genevieve Rose Hayden Noble, and his parents Charles Noble and Myrtle Noble Clark, his sister Ada Ferguson and brother Harvey Noble.

Survivors include his children, Felicia Cassel and husband Donald, Thomas Noble and wife Carmen and Lyle Noble, all of Anchorage, Alaska, and Vivian Larsen and husband Dennis, of Guam. Also surviving are his sisters, Florence McElmurry of Libby and Judy Nelson of Deming, N.M.

His grandchildren, Kristopher Larsen, Aly Noble and Allen Cassel, were a source of joy to Cal and he enjoyed time spent with them.

A celebration of Cal’s life is scheduled to occur Thursday, April 30, 2015, at 11 a.m. at Libby Christian Church, 100 Kootenai River Road in Libby. Local arrangements are being made by Schnakenberg & Nelson Funeral Home of Libby.

The family requests that memorials be sent to the Libby Christian Church, 100 Kootenai River Road, Libby, MT, 59923. The phone number is 406-293-3747.