Carole Ann Noe

Carole Ann (Shepard) Noe of Denver, Colorado, passed away peacefully in her sleep this morning, October 17, 2025, surrounded in her last days by her loving family and friends. She was 87 years old. CaroleÕs roots ran deep through Oklahoma and Colorado Ñ places that shaped her resilient spirit, her faith, and her enduring love of family. Born March 28, 1938, in Cushing, Oklahoma, Carole came into the world in the Dust Bowl. Her parents set off for California in search of a better life, but quickly returned to Oklahoma, where her father took a job with the Tidewater Oil Company in Drumright. His refinery work proved so vital to the war effort during WWII that he wasnÕt drafted until late 1945 Ñ by which time the war had ended. Carole cherished her childhood in Drumright, growing up alongside her younger sisters, Sandy and Barbara. Those early years were filled with family, faith, and exploration Ñ including long summer road trips across the U.S. Her father loved showing his girls the country, and made it their goal to visit the contiguous 48 states. With three little ones in the car, he often recalled that pit stops were all-too frequent. To reduce the amount of time the family spent on the roadside, Fred instructed his girls to use a bucket he put in the back seat for emergencies. That was until a young Carole tossed the contents out the car window Ñ just as a convertible came racing by. The startled driverÕs reaction became family legend, and the bucket was never used again. In 1957, CaroleÕs father, Fred Jr., moved the family to Bayam—n, Puerto Rico, to help set up refinery operations for Gulf Oil. The transition from small-town Oklahoma life to the Spanish-speaking Caribbean was no small challenge for a Southern Baptist teenager entering her junior year at a Catholic school, enduring strict nuns who rapped her knuckles for writing left-handed. By May 1960, she earned her diploma from Colegio Santiago R. Palmer in San Juan. Just one year later, her youngest sister, Barbara, tragically passed away from cystic fibrosis at age 13 Ñ a loss that shaped CaroleÕs compassion and quiet strength for the rest of her life. In 1964, longing for home, Carole returned to Oklahoma against her motherÕs wishes. She moved in with her grandparents in Skiatook, where she joined Golden Hills Baptist Church. It was there she met her future husband, Harold Noe, through mutual friends. Though Harold lived and worked in Denver, he spent his weekends making the 15-hour drive just to be with her. Their love deepened quickly, and after a four-month engagement, they married on April 18, 1965, and began their life together in Colorado. In November 1966, Carole and Harold bought their first home north of downtown Denver, shortly after Harold started working at the Rocky Flats Plant. A little over a year later, they welcomed their first child, Steven Bryan Noe. For Carole, family and faith were everything. She and Harold found their church home at First Baptist Church in Thornton, where Carole poured her heart into choir, Bible study, and fellowship. Sundays were full Ñ morning worship, evening prayer, and plenty of potlucks. CaroleÕs casseroles were a mainstay, typically in a Corning Ware dish labeled ÒC. NoeÓ to make sure it returned home safely. Tragedy struck when Steven passed away during open-heart surgery at 23 months old. It was a loss that shook Carole and Harold deeply, one they carried quietly throughout their lives. In 1973, they adopted their baby girl, Cathy, at just seven weeks old. Harold had always wanted their second son, Michael, to have a sibling, and Carole embraced motherhood again with her daughter. Loss visited again in 1977 when CaroleÕs beloved sister and closest friend Sandy died from a brain aneurysm. Once again, Carole leaned on her faith to carry her through the pain. Carole was a loving and present mother. She filled her childrenÕs lives with laughter, birthday parties, and church activities, often watching over the neighborhood kids from her front porch in Adams County. Summers and Christmases were spent back in Skiatook, visiting her parents after they retired to Oklahoma. Her mother, Bessie, passed of a stroke in 1978. The next year, CaroleÕs father married Lucille Brown Ñ a union Carole enthusiastically welcomed. She lovingly called Lucille ÒMomÓ and embraced her new stepbrothers and their families as her own. Holiday gatherings soon overflowed with love, laughter, and children running through her fatherÕs small home. CaroleÕs home was one built around faith and firm rules: donÕt sass Mom, wear a hat when itÕs cold, and never leave without saying, ÒI love you.Ó While she respected HaroldÕs wish for her to stay home with the kids, Carole flexed her independence opening a licensed in-home daycare in the late 1970s. She cared for children for more than 16 years, and many of them Ñ and their parents Ñ stayed in touch with Carole long into adulthood, a testament to her warmth and nurturing nature. For their 25th wedding anniversary, Carole surprised Harold with a two-week trip to Hawaii, her 49th state to visit. Harold had doubted she could save the money for such an extravagant excursion, but Carole proved him wrong Ñ right down to booking a helicopter ride over the islands. In 1995, with HaroldÕs retirement from Rocky Flats, they sold their Denver home and moved back to Oklahoma to be near family. They bought a ranch-style home with a pool and planned to travel the country in an RV. But life had other plans Ñ Harold was diagnosed with primary pulmonary hypertension in June 1997 and passed away that November. Carole leaned once again on her faith, her friends, and her church family to help her through. She found community among other widows in her church and neighbors in her cul-de-sac, taking trips to New England to see the fall colors and finally checking her 50th state off her list with an Alaskan cruise. Carole had a fierce protective streak Ñ once famously chasing a neighborhood child into her motherÕs kitchen after she pushed her daughter Cathy through a glass door. She may have been small, but she was mighty. In later years, CaroleÕs spirit remained lively. Free from HaroldÕs stance against drinking, sheÕd occasionally join her neighbors for a margarita at the local Mexican restaurant in Owasso or suggest her son and his husband - also named Mike - grab a beer when they visited. After her father passed in 2004, Carole grew even closer to her stepmother Lucille, visiting her often. But by 2017, friends began to notice CaroleÕs memory fading. One night after visiting Lucille in the hospital she was helped home by a couple who found her lost in a retail parking lot. When Lucille passed away in 2018, CaroleÕs son Mike encouraged her to return to Denver to be near family Ñ a decision that brought her joy and comfort. Not long after, she joined her son Mike and his husband on a dream trip to the United Kingdom. Together they explored Wales and spent cherished time with extended family in Swansea, who lovingly called her ÒGrandma Sugar.Ó She later marveled at the sights of London Ñ Buckingham Palace, the Crown Jewels, and the Thames Ñ taking it all in with wonder. In September 2022, doctors told Carole her aortic valve was failing and that she had two years left to live. In true fashion, she far outlived those expectations, defying odds with humor, grit, and a love of life Ñ often toasting with a margarita or lager alongside her Mikes. She spent 840 days in hospice care Ð far exceeding the average stay of six months. Carole was preceded in death by her husband, Harold Noe; her son, Steven Noe; her parents, Fred and Elizabeth ÒBessieÓ (Wells) Shepard; her stepmother, Lucille (Roberts) Brown Shepard; her sisters, Barbara and Sandra Shepard; and her stepbrothers, Merle, Fred, and Raymond Brown. She is survived by her son, Mike Noe, and his husband, Michael Chartier of Denver, Colorado; her daughter, Cathy Noe-Littlefoot and husband, Adam Littlefoot of Thornton, Colorado; her granddaughter, Zoya Welshans and husband, Jacob Madison of Northglenn, Colorado; and her great-grandson, LaÕKai Madison, also of Northglenn. She is also survived by her stepbrother, David Brown of Irving, Texas, and her beloved extended Chartier family Ñ Jacques and Holly Chartier of Aurora, Colorado; Alana Chartier and husband, Daniel Ville of Evergreen, Colorado; and Nicole Chartier and husband, Gawain Roberts, with their children, Rhys and Nia Roberts of Crofty Swansea, Wales, UK. CaroleÕs life was one of love, laughter, and resilience Ñ a legacy carried forward by the family and friends who adored her. Neither her faith nor her humor faded, and her love for her family never stopped growing. A service and burial in Owasso, Oklahoma, will be next week. More details will be shared soon. A celebration of CaroleÕs life will be held in Denver at a future date. In lieu of flowers, the family asks you to consider honoring Carole with a gift to the AlzheimerÕs Association.

Carole Ann Noe

March 28, 1938 - October 17, 2025