Hundreds attend late York professor’s memorial service

Yuni Kim
News Editor
Brother, father, whistleblower and joker – these were only a few of the many words used to describe late York history professor and fierce advocate David Noble at his memorial service held March 26.
Held at the Cecil Community Centre in downtown Toronto, the large memorial hall was filled with about 400 people who came to commemorate Noble’s life.
There were not enough chairs for everyone – family members, colleagues, former students and acquaintances – and several took to standing by the walls or sitting on the floor.

The memorial was opened and emceed by Noble’s older brother, Henry; the program featured his twin brother Doug Noble, University of Toronto professor Nancy Oliveiri and UCLA history professor Russell Jacoby, who collectively recalled him as a kind, enthusiastic and passionate person.
Amy Ehrlich, Noble’s summer neighbour in Vermont, spoke of how eager he was to discover new things in the wilderness. Noble’s music instructor Larisa Renée, who sang a song dedicated in memoriam,  remembered his enthusiasm for learning new kinds of music.
The service, which lasted about two hours, ended with guests being directed to refreshments. They spoke kind words to Noble’s family and to each other as a slideshow of sepia and coloured photos of Noble’s childhood, college years, time with friends and married life slid by, projected on a screen.