Edward Lewis Noah

Edward Lewis Noah passed away on April 5, 2022, at the age of 85. He was born May 8, 1936, in Brownwood, Texas to Raymond O. and Ruth Noah. Ed was preceded in death by his wife of 57 years, Shirley Moore Noah. He is survived by his two sons and four grandchildren: Lewis R. Noah and his wife Laura and their children Adair and husband Kenny Stover, Preston and Olivia; and Wesley T. Noah and his wife Felicia and their son Cray. He is also survived by his brother Raymond Noah and his children Douglas and wife Tina; Rebecca and husband Ron Poynter; and daughters of his brother Thomas Noah (deceased) Ruth Ann, and Adrienne and husband Gary Bishop, and Tom’s wife Sue Noah.

Ed grew up in Monahans, Texas, and the stories of pranks between Ed and his two older brothers Raymond and Tom are legendary, retold at family gatherings through the years (firecrackers in showers and fires in attics, among others – although who was the instigator would change depending on who was telling the story). Ed had fond memories of looking for arrowheads in the white sandhills nearby and visiting Fort Davis. He graduated from Austin High School in El Paso, and during a social between the DeMolay boys club and the Rainbow Girls he first met the love of his life, Shirley Moore. They married a few years later in 1958 and were married for 57 years until Shirley’s passing in 2015.

Ed earned a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering at Texas Tech University. Highlights of his engineering career include working at Bell Labs in Whippany, New Jersey; Aerojet in Sacramento as part of the teams working on NASA contracts supporting the Space Race of the 60’s; and Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota developing medical devices where he obtained a US Patent for a blood clot timing device. With sons Lewis and Wesley in tow, Ed and Shirley relocated home to Texas in the late 60’s glad to be back in warmer climes. Ed obtained another US Patent related to a document feeder device while working for Recognition Equipment in Dallas.

In the mid 70’s Edward switched careers from engineering to law, going to law school at night at South Texas College of Law in Houston to obtain his law degree while working during the day at M.W. Kellogg as an engineer. He switched careers because he truly enjoyed being able to counsel and help people with their legal matters, often becoming friends with his clients along the way. He had a wide range of clients with a variety of legal needs – from a wholesale grocer with contract disputes, to a mechanic struggling with collecting debts, to successfully enforcing a deed restriction for a condominium association at the Texas appellate court level. His example of helping many clients with limited means instilled a sense of “looking out for the underdog” in his sons.

Most importantly Ed was there for his family – hugging his sons goodnight every night, endless driving on family road trip vacations, and wearing the same worn gray sweater every Christmas day. He was always home in time for family dinners, and his favorite meal was Shirley’s El Paso style enchiladas every Friday night. He was so spoiled by her enchiladas that if ordering them in a restaurant, he could take up to 15 minutes to walk the waiter through the precise specifications. Ed had a soft spot for classic Ford Mustangs and went through a phase of buying cars on their last breath at used car auctions. This was a boon to his sons who had cars to drive during their teen years, with the bargain being they had to keep them running - becoming Ed’s amateur mechanics in the process!

A memorial service will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Monday, April 11 at Memorial Oaks Cemetery at 13001 Katy Freeway, Houston, Texas. A graveside service for close friends and family will be held immediately afterwards. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested contributions be made to the Second Family ministry at Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church, 11612 Memorial Dr., Houston, TX 77024 or online at www.mdpc.org.