Joseph Henry “Joe” Noll, born February 16, 1939, in Fort Wayne, Indiana, passed away at the age of 87 on September 4, 2026, at home, surrounded by his loving family and wearing his signature bright orange beanie.

Joe was preceded in death by his parents, Charlotte B. Teders and Harold V. Noll; his beloved wife, Madeline M. (Loeffler) Noll; and his siblings, Judy (Letso), Jim Noll, Dave Noll, and Sam Noll. He is survived by his children, Annemarie (Michael E.) Drzymkowski of Kailua, Hawaii; Christopher (Nora) Noll of Avilla, Indiana; and Daniel (Lisa) Noll of Huntertown, Indiana; his eight grandchildren, Kristina, Amanda, Erica, Michael M., Anastasia, William “Billy,” Jason, and Jessica; and twelve great-grandchildren.

Joe grew up on the north side of Fort Wayne with his four siblings, parents, and grandmother in a two-bedroom bungalow with a basement that, as Joe recalled, “was not very tall, but we were not very tall people.”

A railroad track ran behind the family home, close enough that Joe remembered lying in bed listening as the train gained speed. “It would chug, chug, chug, and the house would kind of shudder as it moved along the track. It was cool.”

His mother, Charlotte, was a homemaker and registered nurse at St. Joseph’s Hospital who made everything from scratch. His father, Harold, sold bread, and young Joe sometimes rode along in his company truck as he made deliveries to neighborhood stores. Joe also remembered grabbing potatoes and carrots from his father’s garden, knocking off the dirt, and eating them. “Maybe we did that when he wasn’t looking,” he later joked.

Much of Joe’s childhood was spent outdoors exploring with neighborhood friends, often following the railroad tracks and creek to Franke Park. By age 9, he had a paper route that helped fund interests such as cap guns and TootsieToy die-cast cars from the Belmont dime store near Precious Blood School. Joe graduated from Central Catholic High School in 1957 and later served in the U.S. Navy from 1960 to 1962.

Before joining the Navy, Joe met the woman he would later call “the best thing to ever happen to me.” He met Madeline through CYO (Catholic Youth Organization), and first saw her sitting on a barstool in the basement. The two “chit-chatted,” square danced, and, as he put it, “the rest was history.”

Joe and Madeline married at St. Henry’s Catholic Church on February 24, 1962, and shared 59 loving years together marked by their unwavering fidelity to one another.

Together they raised three children and created a lifetime of family memories. Joe especially enjoyed camping because, in his words, “it was a non-competitive atmosphere.” At Bear Lake, he built a cottage where the family spent time together on go-karts, projects, and other adventures. There were also long family road trips—sometimes seemingly 4,000 miles—with no air conditioning and only AM radio for entertainment. Later, as empty nesters, Joe and Madeline built a home of their own, where they lived for 30 years.

Joe retired from Global Tool in 1999 after a career as a master tool-and-die maker. His work required extraordinary precision, patience, and craftsmanship. The dies he created were used to manufacture everything from simple foil roasting pans to the backs of television sets. Millions of finished products began with molds Joe carefully built by hand.

That same mechanical mind followed him home. Joe was a lifelong tinkerer who could often be found in his shop modifying, improving, inventing, or simply figuring out how something worked. Among his creations were a kinetic art piece and an atmospheric engine. Throughout his life, he also enjoyed cars, walks through the woods, time with family, and, in later years, what he jokingly described as a “futile effort” to learn the harmonica and steel guitar.

Joe was quiet and observant. He was rarely the most talkative person in the room, but when he was ready to share something important, he would lift his right pointer finger and announce, “I have a profound statement.” He was often heard saying, “God is Love.”

Perseverance was a recurring theme in Joe’s life. He was known for sharing the familiar image of a frog caught in the beak of a long-necked bird. Rather than surrender, the frog has its hands wrapped around the bird’s neck, refusing to be swallowed. Its message was simple: “Never give up.”

Joe also found meaning in the book Psycho-Cybernetics, which helped him overcome negative thinking. “If you develop the attitude about yourself that you’re capable, then things will take care of themselves,” Joe said.

But when Joe reflected on his own life and legacy, accomplishments were not what mattered most. What mattered was his family, particularly how his children would remember him. “I hope they think well of me once I go to The Big Tool Room in the Sky.” His family will always love him and remember his humble nature, gentleness, ingenuity, curiosity, quiet humor, and perseverance. And they will remember his loving advice: “Never give up”.

Services for Joe will include a time of visitation from 2:00pm-4:00pm, Sunday, September 13, 2026, held at Divine Mercy Funeral Home, 1986 W. Cedar Canyons Rd., Huntertown, IN., where there will be a rosary prayed at 1:30pm. There will also be a Mass held at 11:30am, Monday, September 14, 2026, at Saint Mary of the Assumption Catholic Church, 228 N. Main St., Avilla, IN., with an hour prior visitation. Interment will take place at a later date at Greenlawn Memorial Park in Fort Wayne.

Memorial contributions may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.