Ethel May Noland
Ethel May Noland, 92, died Thursday, November 8, 2012, at Millgate, her home near Marietta.
Ethel May was born January 15, 1920, to Nelson and Virginia May Beare in New Matamoras, Ohio and attended elementary and high school there until she entered Marietta College. She graduated in the Class of 1942, just as the United States was entering World War II. On October 10, 1942, she and Lloyd Henry Noland were married at her parents' home at Lock 16 near New Matamoras. Lloyd had joined the US Navy so the newlyweds moved often, to Washington DC, Boston, and Geneva, NY, before Lloyd was posted to the Philippines. During this time Ethel May also served her country, working in the National Weather Bureau in Washington DC, and teaching meteorology to servicemen at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. After the war, Ethel May and Lloyd returned to Marietta where they lived and raised their five children.
Throughout her life, Ethel May served the community she loved. At Fort Frye High School she taught Earth Sciences and as head of the Science Department she started the Ecology Club, a recycling program, and planted the school arboretum, earning the nickname "Mother Nature" from her students. She was a leader in the Washington County 4-H Clubs, the AAUW, PEO, the Marietta College Chi Omega alumni and the Washington County Farm Council.
As president of the Women's Board at The Betsey Mills Club and subsequently president of the Club's corporate board, she helped raise major funds for the endowment and renovations of the Club. Ethel May was also a leader in the establishment of the Castle on Fourth Street for use by the community as a museum. In 1999 Ethel May received the Zonta Woman of the Year Award in recognition of her years dedicated as a teacher and in community service to Marietta.
Ethel May will be remembered with gratitude and affection by many in Marietta and Washington County. She and Lloyd, who died in 1994, are honored and loved by their children, Ethel May Noland Jackson (David), Mariam Charl Noland (James Kelly), Harley Nelson Noland, Gifford Beare Noland (Ellen Morgenthaler), and Cara Holly Noland (Patrick Truex); and grandchildren Holly Jackson, Jacobson Truex, Lukas Truex, and Isaac Noland.
Funeral services will be held 2 pm Monday, November 12, 2012 at Christ United Methodist Church with Reverend Don Archer officiating. Burial will follow in Oak Grove Cemetery. Friends may call at McClure-Schafer-Lankford Funeral Home from 2 pm Sunday with the family present from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8. Messages of sympathy may be sent at www.mslfuneralhome.com. Memorial gifts may be made to the Betsey Mills Club, 300 Fourth Street, Marietta, OH 45750.