OCTOBER 20, 1958 – JUNE 1, 2024
The family of Kenneth Brian Noël is sad to announce that Brian passed away suddenly after a short illness at Cambridge Memorial Hospital in the early hours of June 1, 2024, at the age of 65. Brian was born October 20, 1958 in Guelph, Ontario, the first son of Kenneth Alfred Noël and Phyllis Lenore Dickieson (known as Lenore).
After graduating from Guelph Collegiate Vocational Institute in 1977, he went on to Queen’s University at Kingston, the first of his family to attend higher education. He majored in History with a specialization in British Colonial History in India and South Africa, obtaining a Bachelor of Arts with Honours in 1981.
It was at Queen’s that he met the love of his life Pamela Marie Oikle in September 1978, where they had three out of five classes together in their second year of studies. They married in August of 1981 and settled in Guelph. Brian started his work life in manufacturing, moving from the shop floor into the office quickly. He also began an MBA to complement his career. He and Pam moved to Cambridge in 1985, shortly thereafter he switched careers to personal injury law in private practice. Some years later, he joked that he went over to “the Dark Side” and worked in the insurance industry until his retirement in 2020.
After settling into Cambridge, Brian and Pam started their family, welcoming two sons - Drew in 1988 and Dirk in 1993. While working, Brian took time to be involved in his children’s activities, particularly Drew’s competitive soccer which took them all over Ontario, as well as into Erie, Pennsylvania for games and tournaments. He even took on the role of team manager for a while.
Brian was known for his sense of humour, keeping his family and friends constantly entertained with jokes and sarcastic asides. He loved movies and TV - particularly comedies - and was eager to share his favourites with his sons, instilling a lifelong love of comedy in Dirk.
Brian’s passions included cars, photography, books and sports, particularly auto racing, golf, and hockey. He was a diehard, long-suffering fan of the Toronto Maple Leafs and also cheered on the Toronto Blue Jays in baseball and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in football. For over 15 years, Brian lived his Christian faith by participating fully in his local church in various leadership capacities, including time spent on the Board of Directors. His greatest love was his family – he loved spending time with his parents, siblings, children and grandchildren.
Brian will be missed dearly by Pam, Drew and Dirk. Drew’s children Julian, Adriana and Lila – the light of Brian’s life – will fondly remember their goofy grandpa, as will their mother Kayla Malandruccolo. Brian should be commended for successfully living with his sister-in-law Sylvia for over 30 years. His memory will be a comfort to his mother Lenore and siblings Lynn (Steve McPherson), Eric (Carole) and Karen. He’ll be remembered fondly by his nieces Kendra (Kyle Ingram) and Shanen, and his nephews Lance (Tamar) and Collin (Hanna). He is predeceased by his father Ken (2009) and Pam’s parents Harry Bishop Oikle (1997) and Mary Teresa Madden (1989), who always considered Brian their favourite child.
In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate donations to Trillium United Church in Cambridge and the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of Canada. At the age of 23 Brian was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, which impacted him throughout his life. Every May, you could find him manning the barbecue at M&M Meat Shops’ Charity BBQ Day in support of the charity.
A funeral service will be held at Trillium United Church, Cambridge on Saturday, June 8th at 3:00pm, followed by a reception in the wheelchair-accessible upper auditorium. Arrangements entrusted to T. Little Funeral Home. If you are unable to attend, the service will be livestreamed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJTljsQLR-E
Arrangements entrusted to T. Little Funeral Home & Cremation Centre
