Noele Marie Derr passed away on March 6, 2018 at her home in Miami, Florida. She was 91 years old. Noele was born in Belfast, northern Ireland on March 12, 1926 to James and Gertrude (Galway) Stuart. She immigrated with her parents to the United States to begin a new life far removed from the political turmoil and religious strife that marked their lives in Ireland. They arrived in New York on June 3, 1928 and settled in the Bronx.
Noele grew up as a child of the Great Depression. In 1944, she met a handsome young Merchant Marine cadet and the love of her life, William Daniel Derr. They married a year later in December 1945 and began a family.
William joined the U.S. Coast Guard in the early 1950s to be closer to home. As the wife of a military officer, Noele raised her family of five children amidst frequent moves and changes in duty station. She always held her family together.
While stationed on Governor's Island, New York in the late 1960s, she began her federal career with the U.S. Coast Guard. Noele continued her federal career with the National Bureau of Standards in Washington, DC, and later with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in Miami, Florida. After 25 years of federal service, she retired in 1993. She then worked for Weight Watchers for 15 years.
During the many years of her long life, Noele remained the strength and center of her family. She is survived by her five children—Patricia Hofmeister, Noele Stuart (Tommy Ledford), Deborah Campbell (Reed), Gail Derr, and William Derr, Jr., 7 grandchildren, and 7 great grandchildren.
A funeral service for family and friends will be held at the Caballero Rivero Palms Funeral Home in Homestead, Florida on Friday, March 9, 2018.
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