2019 -- H 5533

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LC001828

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2019

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H O U S E   R E S O L U T I O N

EXPRESSING DEEPEST CONDOLENCES TO THE NOEL FAMILY ON THE PASSING OF

JOYCE A. NOEL

     Introduced By: Representatives Mattiello, Shekarchi, McNamara, Shanley, and Solomon

     Date Introduced: February 26, 2019

     Referred To: House read and passed

     WHEREAS, It is with utmost sadness that this House has learned of the passing of Joyce

A. Noel, the beloved wife of the Honorable Governor Philip W. Noel, on February 13, 2019 in

Estero, Florida; and

     WHEREAS, Mrs. Noel was born in Providence, the daughter of Walter and Genevieve

Sandberg. Long known for her gracefulness and beauty, Mrs. Noel won the Miss Rhode Island

Pageant in 1953 and was a contestant in the Miss America Pageant. She later became Miss Rhode

Island USA and participated in the 1954 Miss USA Pageant; and

     WHEREAS, On October 20, 1956, Mrs. Noel married the Honorable Philip Noel and

together they raised a family and she supported her husband’s professional and public service

career. She was widely credited with playing a significant role in his successful political career

and served our state with class and distinction as Rhode Island’s First Lady from 1973 to 1977;

and

     WHEREAS, In addition to providing a warm, loving and nurturing home for her husband

and children, Mrs. Noel was a woman of great faith and someone who contributed much to her

community and state. She was an active parishioner of Saint Kevin Church in Warwick, and Our

Lady of Light Catholic Community in Fort Myers, Florida. She was also a member of the

Warwick Country Club and the Wildcat Run Country Club in Estero, Florida; and

     WHEREAS, In her spare time, Mrs. Noel loved spending time with her family, and

cooking, baking and entertaining for her loved ones and friends. She was a woman who made an

indelible impression in the hearts of her family and friends and will long be remembered by

Rhode Islanders for her charm, elegance, wit, and devoted service to the citizens of our state; and

     WHEREAS, Mrs. Noel leaves behind her husband, the Honorable Governor Philip W.

Noel, and her children, Linda J. Hirst, Lori A. Noel, Joanne N. Listro, and Joseph W. Noel. She

also leaves behind eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. She was predeceased by her

son, Thomas P. Noel; now, therefore be it

     RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island and

Providence Plantations hereby expresses its deepest condolences to the Noel family on the

passing of former Rhode Island First Lady, Joyce A. Noel; and be it further

     RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to

transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to the Honorable Governor Philip W. Noel.

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LC001828

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