Noah John Haiduc-Dale

Noah was born on May 25, 1977, in Hartland, Vermont. He was raised in Montpelier, where he graduated from Montpelier High School in 1995. Education was a lifelong passion. His enduring interest in peace and Middle Eastern studies began during a trip to the Holy Land in 1993 and continued when he worked as a counselor at Seeds of Peace, a camp in Maine created to build relationships between Israeli and Palestinian youth. Noah graduated with his Bachelor of Arts in English and Philosophy from Hope College in Holland, Michigan. There, he met the love of his life, Michelle, and the couple married one week after college graduation. He and Michelle had the joy of building a beautiful life together for 30 wonderful years.

Noah went on to earn a Master of Arts in English Language and Literature from Central Michigan University and a Master of Arts in Near Eastern Studies from the University of Arizona. The couple and their growing family lived in Michigan, Arizona, New York City, London, and Jerusalem while Noah further pursued his passion for Near East history. In 2010, he graduated with his PhD in Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies from New York University and published his monograph, Arab Christians in British Mandate Palestine.

Noah taught history at Waynesburg University before moving to Centenary University and settling in Green Township, New Jersey, where he and Michelle raised their three children, Maia, Asher, and Ethan. He cherished his role as a husband and father and took pride in supporting his children in their interests. Noah was thrilled to have a career that allowed him to cook meals, pack lunches, and greet his children after school. He was an active member of the local Board of Education for nearly a decade and was his children's biggest fan.

Noah has been a distinguished professor of history and active researcher for 12 years at Centenary University. In addition to being the University’s archivist and advisor of the History Club, Noah remained active in academia and continued to publish. He was a natural and passionate teacher and embraced a role at Centenary in which he taught history of all kinds, from the history of the Crusades to natural history. Noah was proud to have created and led a course on environmental history, which culminated in a trip to the Adirondacks in upstate New York. He also brought his gift of music to the children of the Centenary Library and Hackettstown Public Library during story hour.

Noah’s joy, enthusiasm, and commitment to being a creative and engaging instructor earned him the respect of students and the award for Teacher of the Year at Centenary in 2023. His dedication to his students and his work throughout his treatment was emblematic of his determination not to be defined by illness.

Noah was a unique person; he was funny without ever being mean and had a passion for fairness that he applied with equal zeal to card games, politics, and world events. Though he was quick to note others’ skill or prowess and downplay his own, Noah was a talented fisherman, musician, juggler, birder, bread baker, gardener, chicken farmer, unicyclist, card player, and solver of puzzles. His curiosity and love of learning included a desire to engage anyone he met in earnest conversation.

Despite people mostly assuming he was named for the guy with the ark, Noah instead had the joy of sharing a name with the Adirondack guide and hermit, Noah John Rondeau. Noah shared with Rondeau a love of the Adirondack Mountains and an appreciation of the outdoors; fishing, human-powered boats, hiking, camping, and bird watching, all of which he indulged at Fir, his beloved family cabin at Raquette Lake.

Noah is survived by his loving wife Michelle and his awesome children Maia, Asher, and Ethan. He is additionally survived by his parents Wendy and Steve Dale of Montpelier, Vermont, his brothers Seth (Stephanie) of Highland Park and Isaac (Brehon) of Ipswich MA, his in-laws George and Violet Haiduc of Michigan, his siblings-in-law Jennifer (Tony) Sayegh, Denise (Claude) Vancea, and Philip (Donna) Haiduc of Michigan, and his many nieces and nephews.

Above all, Noah was a beautiful, peaceful person who was content and approached life with enthusiasm and good humor – throughout his illness, he never wavered from these defining qualities of his nature. Noah was a beautiful soul who left a lasting impact on everyone he encountered, an impact that all those he touched will carry on in his memory.

A Memorial Service to honor Noah’s life will take place on Friday, September 12th, at 1:00 pm in Trinity Church, 213 Main St., Hackettstown, NJ 07840.

In lieu of flowers, contributions to benefit Noah's children can be made to The Yellow Frame Church. Checks, with “CERF” in the memo line, may be made out to Yellow Frame Church and mailed to 1 Yellow Frame Rd, Newton, NJ 07860. Contributions can also be made online through PayPal via the church website, at the following link: http://www.yellowframechurch.com/