Neal Noble
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Neal Douglas Noble of Newark, DE, recently Willow Street, PA, went to join the Lord on Wednesday, June 29, 2022, at the age of 87. He was born in Austin, TX on September 26, 1934, to the late Paul Hendrix Noble and Janie Francis (Welsh) Noble.
Neal had a lifetime devotion to the Lord, starting each day by reading his bible. He came from humble beginnings and overcame a difficult childhood with inspiration and support from influential teachers as his family moved dozens of times across the country, all the way from east Texas to Oregon. After high school, Neal enlisted in the armed forces and proudly served his country before attending college on the G.I. Bill and going on to earn his master's degree. Neal was passionate about his work at John R. Downes Elementary School as a physical education teacher. Neal went beyond just teaching gym class, he inspired his students by educating them in memorable ways on having a healthy body and mind. He would come in early for Morning Tumbling, and stay after school or come in on weekends to ensure that his "Tigers" excelled by earning the Presidential Physical Education Award. Neal also was the first Director of the Rittenhouse Day Camp, managed the Nottingham Green Swim Club, wrote 3 books on physical education and lectured at conferences.
Neal was persistent, disciplined, loyal and, at times, stubborn. Prior to a car crash in 1987 that killed his first wife Arlene Noble and severely injured him, Neal transformed himself from barely being able to make one lap running around his block to running the Boston Marathon seven times. In his free time, Neal could be found traveling the country in his RV with his wife Karen Noble, cheering (or correcting the referees) at every sporting event his grandchildren had, and for many years volunteering with Habitat for Humanity and the Salvation Army, faithfully ringing the bell and tending the red kettle before Christmas in Newark for decades. Above all he was devoted to his beloved wife, Karen, and his family.
Neal is survived by his wife, Karen Noble; two daughters: Lori Davis (David) and Elizabeth Tobin (Keith); stepdaughter, Amy Scully (Rick); seven grandchildren: Katie Nicholson (Corey), Chad Davis (Cindy), Caroline Davis (Jake), KC Tobin (Jackie), Kyle Tobin (Rachel), Luke Tobin (Erin) and Eric Trent (Lauren); and eleven great-grandchildren. In addition to his parents, Neal was preceded in death by his first wife, Arlene Noble; stepson, Clark Hoffman; brother, Garland Noble; and sister Oleta Noble.
A celebration of Neal's life will be held at 4:00 p.m. on July 9th at Newark United Methodist Church, 69 E. Main St., Newark, DE 19711. Burial will be held privately. In lieu of flowers, please consider volunteering with or making memorial contributions directly to Habitat for Humanity or the Salvation Army. To send online condolences, please visit www.rtfoard.com.