Obituary of Ralph Noyce

Ralph Ridgeley Noyce was born in the Lloydminster Hospital on March 14, 1920 to Frank and Rose Noyce and passed away peacefully on Sunday morning, April 27, 2008 at the hospital with his wife Bettie and daughter Donna by his side. His final days were spent surrounded by his immediate family. Ralph leaves to mourn his best friend and wife of 56 years, Bettie, his children: Frances (Gabe) Baksza of Trochu, Alberta; Doug (Wilda) Noyce of Victoria, BC; Donna (Norman) McCourt of Lloydminster; nine grandchildren: Deanna (Rick) Green, Randy Baksza, Rick (Donna) Baksza, Jodee (Nathan) Madder, Adam Noyce, Derek (Deanna) Noyce, Danielle (Bjarke) Andersen, Lori (Bruce) Mennie, Terri (David) Leer; fifteen great grandchildren and two great great granddaughters. He is also survived by his special family, Linda (Eugene) Smereka, their two daughters, Nicole Smereka and Shawna (Gilles) Royer and four great grandchildren and by numerous other members of the Noyce and Clark families. He was predeceased by his parents, Frank and Rose; his brother, Bert Noyce and his in-laws, John and Janet Clark. The funeral service for Ralph was held at the Marwayne Community Hall on Thursday, May 1st with Reverend Bob Aldrich officiating. Interment took place in the Marwayne Cemetery. Eulogy, as read by Frank Mann Hello everyone. It is a privilege for me to pay tribute to Ralph who I have known since I was a kid. He became a good friend and was a good neighbour. You could never go wrong working or dealing with Ralph. Anytime I dealt with him I was treated more than fairly. He was a good companion to hunt, work or play with. Ralph attended the first Blackrock School until grade 8, then took correspondence to grade 10. Following his schooling he attended Y T School in Edmonton in order to enlist in the RCAF which he did in 1941. The highlight of Flight Sergeant Ralph Noyce's experiences during the war was being in London on V.E. Day. To quote Ralph from his book of "Reminiscences" which he wrote for the family: "All during the war there was a strict black-out and on V.E. night I'm sure there was a bonfire in every back yard in London, accompanied by a party. Two fellows, a girl and myself, all Air Force personnel, went from one to another of these parties that night. It was no trouble getting to them - the biggest problem was getting away. The people, without exception, were most generous, hospitable and deliriously happy." Following the war he worked in the P.L. Robertson Screw Factory for a short time until he returned to Lloydminster to take over his father's farm in the spring of 1946. Last year the Noyce family were the proud recipients of the Century Family Farm Award for 100 continuous years of farming operation in Saskatchewan. Ralph was very active in the community, serving for some time on the Blackrock School Board, and as a Councillor in the R.M. of Britannia. In addition, he was one of the founding members of Alcurve Hall, and was looking forward to attending the Hall's 50th Anniversary next year. He joined the Marwayne Branch of the Royal Canadian Legion in 1954, participating in numerous projects including the Poppy Fund. In 1983 the Marwayne Legion took over the management of Lea Park and Ralph experienced great satisfaction working alongside his fellow Legion members in the development of the park. He also enjoyed curling, camping, fishing, hunting, travelling and of course, the Lea Park Rodeo. Ralph was a true farmer and loved the land and the newness of spring, which was his favorite time of year, when he enjoyed watching the news calves and the return of the migrating geese and ducks. In fact, it was in the spring when Ralph, as a young boy, would roam and explore the farm with his greatest friend and companion, his dog "Snap." On one of their adventures he neglected to tell his parents of his plans and the neighbours were alerted for a search. In due course, they were found in a pasture, sound asleep, Ralph's head resting on Snap, surrounded by a circle of cattle looking down on them. As everyone knows' Ralph was just a "little" hard of hearing. One day he answered the phone when Donna called to see if Bettie had a can of stewed tomatoes. After Donna repeated the question three or four times, Ralph turned to Bettie and said, "Here, talk to your daughter, she's mumbling again." His best times were spent sitting around the kitchen table with family and friends, playing games and telling stories. He always had a joke up his sleeve ... colourful or otherwise. Ralph's family wish to thank everyone for attending his service and for being a special part in his life. Candy and I had a great visits at Bettie's house the other night with Ralph's family. We had a lot of laughs about the school days at Blackrock. It was obvious that Ralph was dearly loved by each and every one of them. Card of Thanks We would like to express our heartfelt thanks to Dr. Thomas Kerlis and Dr. Jill Lakins for your compassionate care. Special thanks to the nurses in I.C.U. and the third floor. Ralph said they were like angels and he loved them all. Thanks to the following: The ambulance attendants, Vital Aire Staff; the organist Joanne Horton, soloist Yvette Barnett for the gift of your beautiful voice; the pallbearers: Robert Newlin, George Mann, Harald Petersen, Darren Nickless, Garry Mallett, and Gregg Babey; to Frank Mann, our thanks for giving the eulogy and the Royal Purple and Legion Ladies Auxiliary for making and serving the lunch. To Reverend Bob Aldrich our appreciation for your comforting service. For all the cards, flowers, donations and to all our neighbours and relatives for food brought to our homes. To Tagen Detchon, your poem will always be so special to Auntie Bettie. Thank you to the Marwayne Legion and Ladies Auxiliary for your tribute to Ralph and for being his Honour Guard. To Dale McCaw, we cannot thank you enough for your kindness, compassion and help to us. In lieu of thank you cards, we will be making a donation to the MS Society - Lloydminster Chapter. Bettie Noyce and families Donations in memory of Ralph may be made to the MS Society - Lloydminster Chapter or to a Charity of the Donor's Choice.