On the afternoon of July 26, 2024, Kathleen Maria Noble passed away peacefully at the age of 79. As the first of four children, Kathleen was born to William and Matilda Gardner on April 23rd, 1945.  She grew up in Denton, Texas in a musical family and at an early age Kathleen displayed a great aptitude for music, as did her brothers and sister. In summer they went on family vacations together and at Christmas they performed for each other and sang together. They were each 3 years apart and, as the eldest, Kathleen was always very protective of her younger siblings. She was a prodigy on piano, a talented violinist and shared her father's incredible gift as an operatic soloist. She excelled academically, graduating early from Denton High School where she met her first husband. Kathleen then went on to attend the University of North Texas followed by Howard Payne University where she starred as the lead soprano in the productions of Puccini's operas The Girl of the Golden West and Gianni Schicchi.

Although music would continue to play an important role throughout her life, Kathleen set aside her musical career to raise a family. From her first marriage, Kathleen had two sons and two daughters. When her children were very young, she became a single mom and entered the business world for the first time. She worked multiple jobs to make ends meet but somehow always managed to make sure that at the end of the day, dinner was a special time to gather around the table for good food and conversation.

She later settled in the DFW metro and met an electronic-systems engineer from Dallas named Frederick Marshall Hennen whom she married and whose three children, two sons and one daughter, she welcomed into the family. She passed on her love of music and appreciation of the arts to her children and countless hours were spent driving them across the DFW metro for their private music lessons, choir rehearsals, orchestra & ballet performances and live rock/reggae/blues jams.

Kathleen's front door was always open for friends dropping by in the neighborhood who fancied a quick dip in the pool. There was plenty of room at the table for those who wished to stay for supper and fresh sheets if you needed a place to crash for the night. She had a big heart and treated everyone that came into her home like family. She was very passionate about decorating, particularly during the holidays and some of Kathleen's fondest memories were of large gatherings at Thanksgiving and Christmas with festive feasts and impromptu family house concerts.

Kathleen also had an illustrious career in the corporate world, culminating in the role of Vice President for the firm, Businesswomen of Dallas where she excelled at placing executives, engineers and administrative talent with leading firms across the DFW metroplex. She received multiple awards in her field for being a top producer nationally. While still working a fulltime job, Kathleen decided to start up a community theater company, The Dallas Alliance Theater, which specialized in Broadway review productions giving performances at local theater spaces near North Park mall and Downtown Dallas.

Making the decision to retire early, Kathleen and "F.M." moved to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico where she started a community theater company as well a chamber orchestra. They put on multiple productions while living in Mexico and it was not uncommon for their shows to be sold out! When "F.M." passed away after a battle with cancer, Kathleen opted for a complete change of scenery, moving to the Olympic Peninsula in Washington state. There, she opened a very highly rated bed and breakfast and started the "Broadway in the Barn" theater company. In Sequim Washington she also met a retired Aerospace engineer whom she married in Santa Fe New Mexico in a Renaissance themed wedding. Tragically, her husband passed away after suffering a severe stroke less than 2 months after they were wed.

Eventually, Kathleen came back to her Texas roots to be closer to her family, settling in Denton where she bought a house just off the TWU campus so she could be near the performance hall, a short walk from her home and near the old town square. While working on a jigsaw puzzle at the senior center, she caught the eye of a tall southern gentleman named Ron Noble whose witty humor and bad puns made her both laugh and cry. They decided to get married and built a beautiful life together enjoying some 12+ years of wedded bliss. Ron was the only person she ever met who could occasionally beat her at Jeopardy and as a team they were impossible to defeat!!

Kathleen enjoyed being close to her extended family and she strived to live life to the fullest, surrounding herself with people she loved which she felt gave her purpose. She eventually succumbed to health complications that had developed from a virus that had originally attacked her heart over 25 years ago. Those who knew her well would testify to the fact that she loved her family and friends unconditionally, and she instilled this trait in her children. She was a bigger-than-life personality who offered compassion and protection for those who needed a helping hand.  She will live forever in our hearts and remain by our sides whispering in our ear that which we long to hear: "I love you, everything is going to be ok."

Kathleen is preceded in death by her father, Bill, her mother, Matilda, and her son Chris. She is survived by her husband, Ron, her siblings Jim, Elaine and Bill, her children Diana, David, Edey, and Kara, her granddaughters Erica, Hannah and Jacqueline along with many nieces and nephews.

A Celebration of Life service is planned for 2:00 pm, Tuesday August 27th at Highland Baptist Church, 600 Thomas Street, Denton, Texas