Idella Marie Noel

Idella was born in rural Baca County, Colorado on August 5, 1925 to Robert E. and Audra E. (Compton) Cochran. When Idella was six months old the family moved to the Two Buttes, Colorado area with her parents and older siblings.

In 1942 Idella moved from Two Buttes to Panhandle A&M in Oklahoma to attend college. She taught two years in Springfield, Colorado during World War II. At that time teachers were asked to cover the many positions that had been filled by men, now inducted into the Service.

She transferred to Colorado State College of Education (CSCE), now the University of Northern Colorado, in 1945 and received her Lifetime Teaching Degree with her B.A. degree in 1946.

Idella Cochran met her future husband James Parker Noel at CSCE. The couple married December 22, 1946. In 1947 the couple purchased The Platteville Herald newspaper. Idella would remain an owner, editor and publisher of Weld County newspapers for 64 years.

The following March the couple founded the LaSalle Leader to cover that area of Weld County. The first edition was printed on St. Patrick’s Day, 1948.

For years Idella Noel wrote extensively and ran the linotype machine. And Jim Noel sold advertising, set the type into forms and did all the printing.

Idella Noel was named President of Colorado Press Women in 1957 and later served as Chairman of the Colorado Press Association Journalism Committee. As the only woman on the committee, she was a pioneer in a historically male profession.

After 32 years with the Platteville Herald and the LaSalle Leader, the couple took a full year off publishing. During that time, they traveled, remodeled a house, went to Real Estate School and Idella also worked on a journalism textbook.

In September of 1979 Jim and Idella decided that they had enough of retirement and founded the Platte Valley Voice, in Kersey, Colorado which was later named the VOICE in Central Weld County. Jim Noel died suddenly Feb. 13, 2003, still actively involved in the VOICE at age 80.

Idella retired from full time work in 2011 at age 86 after spending 64 years as an editor and a publisher. She still, however, continued to write a weekly column for the Eaton Herald, now the Herald-Voice, until she suffered a stroke in 2014 that affected her peripheral vision and her ability to use a computer.

Idella Noel is survived by a daughter, Junita Audene (Noel) Johannes and her husband Richard, Platteville. A son, James Bert Noel and his husband Arthur Schumaker, Fort Collins. She is also survived by three grandchildren, Noel Johannes and spouse Kym Adams of Arvada, Brooke Dannar and husband Dustan of Evans and Jamie Hunt and husband Matt of Platteville. She had two great-granddaughters Hope and Faith Dannar.

Memorial service will be at 1:00 pm Saturday, September 17, 2016 at the Stoddard Funeral Home. Private inurnment will be at Sunset Memorial Gardens.