Ed Noble

Ed Noble, 88, peacefully passed away at his home after a lengthy illness. A longtime resident of Atlanta, Georgia, Ed Noble was a renowned visionary entrepreneur, business developer and philanthropist. Edward Everett Noble was born in 1928 in Ardmore, Oklahoma, to Lloyd and Vivian Noble. Ed spent his formative youth in Ardmore. At an early age, Noble learned the value of work from his father, Lloyd Noble, a famed Oklahoma oilman and philanthropist. In mid-1940s, Noble attended St. John's Military Academy in Delafield, Wisconsin, before attending the University of Oklahoma, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in geology. After college, Noble moved to Midland, Texas, where he worked in the West Texas Division of the Samedan Oil Corporation. He married LaVerne Estes before moving to Tulsa, Oklahoma, to be closer to Cecil Forbes, after the death of his father. When he was 28 years old, Noble moved to Atlanta, Georgia, to develop and open the popular Lenox Square Shopping Center in 1959. At the time, Lenox Square was one of the first and largest regional shopping centers in the United States. He then built an award-winning small, independent chain of motels/hotels, Noble Inns Corporation, which culminated in 1973 with the Terrace Garden Inn. In the early 1980s, Noble played a role in national politics as part of the Reagan administration. President Ronald Reagan appointed him to lead the transition team for the U.S. Synthetic Fuels Corporation. Noble then served as Chairman from 1981 until 1986. Noble returned to business and development after his stint in Washington, D.C. He helped spearhead the development of the land west of Interstate 35 in Norman, Oklahoma, during the late 1980s, adding to projects including retail, condos and apartments. He founded and served as President and CEO of Noble Properties, Inc. until his retirement. Noble was the second son of Lloyd Noble, the founder of The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation. Ed Noble served on the Noble Foundation's Board of Trustees from 1951 to 2003, helping direct the organization's activities for more than half a century. He also served as a director of Noble Affiliates, Inc. Additionally, Noble was a member of Church of the Apostles and served on numerous boards throughout his life including: the Foundation of the Holy Apostles, Pace Academy, Oglethorpe University, the George West Mental Health Foundation, Buckhead Coalition, Piedmont Hospital Foundation, Southeastern Legal Foundation, St. John's Military Academy and the Hoover Institute. He was one of the initial founders of The Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C. He is survived by his wife, Maria; daughter, Vivian and husband, Sam DuBose; Ben Noble; granddaughter, Ginger and husband, James Heckman; sister, Ann and husband, Dr. David Brown; LaVerne Noble; Carol Elizabeth Lindsay; cousin, Carolyn Smith; Marcel and Roland Brown, and numerous dearly loved cousins, nieces, nephews and extended family. Noble was preceded in death by his parents, Lloyd and Vivian Noble; brothers, Sam Russel Noble and Richard Noble; and cousin, Margaret Baldridge.