Kindhearted, genuine, hard-working, diligent
“My dad was the most kindhearted person I know, his daughter, Emma, stated.” She recalls how good it felt to have a dad who added light and energy to any room he walked into. “His smile and laugh were contagious,” she said.
More than anything, Noah loved spending time with family, especially Emma and his son, Houston. Noah relished everything outdoors; fishing, hunting, and working on boats with his cousin Shannon. In earlier years, Noah owned his own grass cutting business and was head of grounds and maintenance at Gulf States in Tuscaloosa. He learned to weld and used this skill in his work on the boat docks. In his off time, he wrote and sang music and taught himself to play the guitar. Noah was especially influenced by Eric Clapton, Chris Stapleton, the Steeldrivers, Eric Church and Pink Floyd.
The shared love of music united Noah and Houston. On Spring Break, two months before Noah died, he and Houston went to the lake. They fished and listened to music together. At Noah’s funeral, Noah’s dad, Pop, gifted Houston with Noah’s guitar. Since then, Houston has trained himself to become an excellent player. It helps him deal with the death of his father.
March brought lots of birthdays in the family, a time to gather and celebrate all family members born in the month. One significant memory about her father, that Emma reflects on, was at that party about two months before her father died. Noah was playing guitar alone in the bedroom. He asked her if she wanted to stay and listen. Emma said, “I will, later,” but never did. “What I would do now is go back and hear him softly playing and sweetly singing his favorite Pink Floyd song, “Wish You Were Here,” Emma said.
Every summer brought beach vacations and every Christmas a vacation to the mountains. One time at the mountains, it snowed seven inches and the adjacent golf course was perfect for sled riding. Everyone participated, but Noah slid down on his jeans, coming back up with ripped pants.
Kind to everyone he met, Noah took care of his father as he was dealing with cancer, and watched out for his younger brother, Joseph. He also made daily calls to his mother, Deborah, checking in to see if she needed anything.
At times, though, Noah became isolated and lost his vibrant personality. Still, he strived every day to better himself, working hard to overcome his addiction. “He fought until the end,” Emma said. His children missed being around him when he was in active addiction. “Having someone with a substance use disorder in the family changed my perspective,” Emma shared. “It scared me and made me realize not to take anything for granted.”
Experiencing their father’s active addiction, at the ages of 12 and 14 like Emma and Houston did, was difficult. They missed out on a lot of life with their father. Emma remembers how bold and willing Noah was in trying to do better and in making efforts to reach out to others to help them. Having both good and challenging experiences with Noah has encouraged Emma to talk with people who use substances and let them know they are not alone.
Noah’s daughter, Emma, provided the information for this narrative.
July 2, 1978-May 29, 2018-Age 39
Portrait Artist: Jason Irwin
Narrative Writer: Barbara Francois
