Kathleen A. Noone

Kathleen (Kathy) Noone passed away at home on November 22, 2024 with loving family at her bedside. She was the only child of Hal and Eleanor (Cassidy) Thornburgh. She and her husband, Stephen (Steve), enjoyed over 58 years of happy marriage. She is survived by Steve; daughter Lisa Noone of Washington, DC; son Air Force Colonel (Dr.) Brendan Noone (Miho) of Honolulu, HI; grandchildren Lio Patrick Noone and Emi Aisling Noone of Honolulu; and cousins Meg and Erin Woodward of Greenwood, IN. She was predeceased by her parents, son Patrick Noone, and beloved aunt Margaret Cassidy.

Kathy grew up in Indianapolis, graduating from St. Joan of Arc Grade School, St. Agnes Academy, and Marian College. She met Steve on the first day of freshman orientation, which he also had to attend as a transfer student. After graduation, Kathy worked as a children’s librarian at Brown Branch Library in Irvington. When her first child was born, she left the library and focused on raising her three children until her youngest was in the middle grades. At that time, she returned to the workforce during school hours as a part-time coder at Walker Research.

Kathy loved people and was the ultimate one-on-one compassionate listener to friends needing support. Her attention to detail was amazing as she built genealogy albums for both Steve’s extended family and her own. In addition to chronological family photo albums, she compiled detailed binders containing news about her classmates from first grade through college. She was the glue to keep classmates in touch with one another and her resources were immensely helpful for volunteers organizing their milestone class reunions.

On vacation with her aunt and uncle as a young child, Kathy traveled by ferry boat from Fort Myers to Sanibel Island, FL. This spawned a lifelong fascination with seashells. She frequently would lose all sense of time walking various beaches to find thousands of treasures, later cataloguing them with both the original Latin and common names. Her home was filled with these collections, and she loved returning to the beach whenever vacations or Steve’s business trips came anywhere close to the water. If only she could have come across that elusive Junonia seashell!

Kathy doted on her indoor plants, shopped only at thrift stores and garage sales, and never failed to impress people with her color coordination from head to toe. She excelled at sending the warmest personal greetings to family and friends via cards and emails.

She and Steve joined Christ the King Catholic Church in 1968. She volunteered regularly on various church and school committees and supported her children when they attended the parish grade school and adjacent Bishop Chatard High School.

Everyone was awed by her courage in battling a very aggressive cancer over the past two years without ever losing her sweet nature or affectionate smile. The family appreciates the loving care provided by St. Croix Hospice of Indianapolis.

Visitation will be held on Saturday, December 7 from 9:00 – 11:00 a.m. at Christ the King Church with a Mass of Christian Burial immediately following. Interment will take place at Oaklawn Cemetery alongside her beloved son Patrick. Leppert Mortuary Nora is handling arrangements. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial contributions to the Noone Family Endowed Scholarship Fund at Bishop Chatard High School, 5885 Crittenden Avenue, Indianapolis, IN 46220.