John E. Noel

Retired Billerica Police Detective Sergeant John E. Noel of Mobile, Alabama and formerly of Chelmsford, Massachusetts, passed away Saturday, March 28, 2026 following a three-and-one-half-year battle with Multiple Myeloma.

A son of the late Arthur J. Noel and Nellie Summers Noel, “BIG” John, was born on January 15, 1940, in the family home. He was the second youngest of nine children. Growing up he loved baseball and football. He also ran track and enjoyed speed skating in the winter.

A 1958 graduate of Malden High School, John enlisted in the United States Army in January of 1958, just before his 18th birthday. In those days you could leave high school early, provided you had a “B” average, attend boot camp, then return home and get your diploma. John did just that and then subsequently served in the Army for ten years, including his reserve time.

While stationed at Kunsan Air Base in Gunsan, Korea, John heard the Air Force baseball team was looking for an outfielder. He enthusiastically asked his Lieutenant if he could try out, and, as the story goes, the Lieutenant laughed, dismissed him and said, “yeah, go ahead”. John then spent the next six months traveling all over Southeast Asia, Korea and Japan playing baseball for the Air Force as the only Army personnel on the squad.

John’s next tour was also in Southeast Asia attached to the Army’s Combat Engineers where he helped build roads in Korea and Vietnam, alongside the Army’s infantry. He mustered out of the Army from West Point after attending the NCO (Non- Commissioned Officer) Academy. That experience made John a forever faithful fan of Army Football.

Upon his return home, he completed one semester at Bentley College. Realizing accounting was not for him, he then worked with his older brother Frank, doing construction during the day followed by a second shift at Lawson’s Machine in Malden, MA fabricating various metal parts.

In 1968 John met Elaine Lohman at a bar in Newburyport, MA. The two would marry in 1969, with his brother Frank serving as his best man. Together, he and Elaine welcomed two sons, Gene and John Jr.. John also raised Elaine’s young son Kenneth, making homes in Salem and Lynn, MA before settling down in Chelmsford, MA.

In 1970 John joined the Billerica Police Department as a Permanent Intermittent Officer and was sworn in as a Permanent Full-time Officer in 1973. John would call the police department and its town, “the greatest in the country.” He also became a registered EMT, earning certification as one of the country’s first EMTs. Just prior to his death he was reminiscing fondly about his Billerica work experiences. Nicknamed “Popeye” by his fellow Officers, he coyly recalled, while living in rival Chelmsford, that he secretly wanted Billerica to win the Thanksgiving Day football game. During his time with the Police Department he was very active in leadership roles with the Police Union, Police Association, Pistol Team, Softball Team and his pride and joy, the Honor Guard, especially when marching in Memorial Day and Fourth of July parades. In 1980 John received an associate’s degree in criminal justice from Middlesex Community College. It was obvious that he was all-in for being the best that he could be for his community.

The family home Mr. and Mrs. Noel created on Dalton Road was a haven for sports, cookouts, and celebrations. It featured a pool, an asphalt basketball court with two hoops that doubled as a street hockey surface, a backyard for chipping golf balls and playing football and wiffle ball, and even a horseshoe pit. The home bustled year-round with neighborhood kids and family friends, especially after John built a backyard ice hockey rink for winter play. All of this activity led to John logging thousands of miles, taking his boys to various practices and games, including summer hockey camps as far away as Canada.

When John retired from the Billerica Police Department in 1994 he moved to Dauphin Island, Alabama. There, he and Elaine built a home that became one of the most beautiful homes on the Island. He also did not wait long to contribute to his new island community, working part time for its police department, joining the beautification committee and coaching the Dauphin Island Marlins little league team. John also visited the kids in the area schools dressed as Santa Claus, a tradition started in Billerica, MA where designated officers would embrace the holiday spirit and visit homes on Christmas Eve. Community involvement was a natural fit for John and his outgoing personality. These roles eventually earned John the Spirit of Dauphin Island Award for “exemplary and outstanding contributions to the island”.

In retirement he took up golf as a member of the Isle Dauphine Golf Club, bought a boat and a jet ski and started fishing. He and Elaine also made frequent trips to the Casinos in Biloxi, Mississippi, where John loved to play Texas Hold-em. Unfortunately, in 1997 his wife Elaine tragically passed away. John would then spend the next 8 years traveling to see his large family scattered all over the country. And as a new hobby explored all sorts of classic dancing disciplines.

In 2005 after selling his Dauphin Island home, John moved to West Mobile, AL where he would spend the rest of his life. That move also meant meeting Bang (BeBe) Nguyen whom he married in 2006 and would enjoy almost 20 years of marriage. He and BeBe took memorable trips together to Las Vegas, the Caribbean, and even Paris, France. They also frequented the Casinos in nearby Biloxi, MS. John became the head of household figure for BeBe’s daughter, granddaughter, Na, and son-in-law, as well as BeBe’s extended family, all while making trips home to Massachusetts.

John is survived by his wife BeBe, sons Gene (Emily) and Johnny (Stephanie), grandson Jarod, daughter-in-law Vi, son-in-law Hieu, and granddaughters Na, Kimberly, Laura and Kayla, brothers AJ, Law and George, and dozens of nieces and nephews.

He is preceded in death by his grandson Easton, as well as his parents Arthur and Nellie, sisters, Jane, Evelyn and Betty, brothers, Frank and Joe, step-son Kenneth, and his best friends Irene and Joe Shaffaval formerly of Salem, MA., and Dauphin Island, AL.

He will certainly be missed and will always be known as a doer. Funeral services were private, prior to him being committed to the Dauphin Island United Methodist Church Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, John asked that any donations in his memory be made to the Children's Medical Center at UMass Memorial Health (Worcester) or Boston Children’s Hospital Cardiac Intensive Care Unit in his grandson’s name, Easton Noel, who he called “Tank”.

www.ummhealth.org/giving/ways-to-give www.childrenshospital.org/services/child-life-services/donations-fundraising