John Noonan

John Patrick "Pat" Noonan, 85, of Rawlins passed away Oct. 28, 2016, at Memorial Hospital of Carbon County. He was born Nov. 26, 1930, in Rawlins to parents Gertrude "Gertie" (Magner) and John P. Noonan. A Vigil Service with recitation of the Rosary will be held Wed. Nov. 2, 2016, at 7 p.m. at St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Rawlins. The Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Thurs. Nov. 3, 2016, at 10 a.m. at St. Joseph's Catholic Church with Father Sam Hayes as the Celebrant. Interment with military honors will follow in the Rawlins Cemetery. Pallbearers will be Bob Noonan, Jason Welch, Steve Graham, John Goetz, Brent Hunter, and Patrick Gonzales. Pat was raised and educated in Rawlins, where he was a team member of the RHS first State Football Team in 1947. He served as RHS Senior Class President from 1947-1948 before graduating in 1948. He attended one year at the University of Wyoming and then began working for the U.P. Railroad in July 1950. On Dec. 28, 1950, he enlisted in the U.S. Air Force and served for four years, all at Lackland A.F.B. in San Antonio, TX. Following his honorable discharge, he returned to U.W. and was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon. While at the university, he met and married Ellen Elizabeth "Ellie" Huffman in Feb. 1958. He then returned to Rawlins and employment with U.P.R.R. On Nov. 16, 1958, two weeks after the birth of their first son, Mike (sons, Marty and Kevin followed), he suffered a broken back. He was in a full-body cast until April 1959, during which he lived in a Butler Hut in Laramie and attended classes at U.W. On Feb. 28, 1961, he was hired by John France at the Rawlins National Bank. He began as a teller and then served as V.P. of Data Processing, V.P. of Operations and V.P./ Cashier prior to his retirement in Aug. of 1988. From the beginning of his employment with the bank, he sang bass with the barbershop quartet "The Bank Notes." During the 1980's and 1990's, he and Ellie spent many hours flying with Norm Harvey in his Cesna 195. They made numerous trips to England, Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii, Iceland, Greenland, and across Canada and the western U.S. by rail and auto. They also took cruises to the Panama Canal and Canada and the Adriatic and Aegean seas. They were "cheated" out of a Concord Flight to London when the aircraft was grounded, but were able to take British AirWays and return to New York from London on the Queen Elizabeth II during its last transatlantic crossing in Dec. 2000, the last crossing of the century and millennium. Pat was a life member of B.P.O.E. 609, American MENSA, and the Cowboy Joe Club. He enjoyed restoring and showing his 1957 Cadillac, which showed at the Cadillac Grand National in Denver. He also restored Ellie's grandfather's 1941 Nash Ambassador and showed it at the 1994 Grand Nationals in California, winning second place. Survivors include his wife of almost 59 years, Ellen "Ellie" (Huffman) Noonan of Rawlins; son, Marty (Debbie) Noonan of Sundance; daughter-in-law, Leah Noonan of Cheyenne; grandchildren, Bob Noonan, Jason Welch, Jenny (Steve) Graham, Shawna (John) Goetz, and Brent (Christie) Hunter; and five great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents; sons, Kevin in 1979 and Mike in 2012; and granddaughter Kristi in 2006.

Service

Thursday, November 3, 2016 10:00am

St. Joseph's Catholic Church

207 W. Pine

RAWLINS, WY

Mass of Christian Burial

Visitation

Wednesday, November 2, 2016 7:00pm

St. Joseph's Catholic Church

207 W. Pine

RAWLINS, WY

Interment

Rawlins Cemetery

915 Third St.

RAWLINS, WY