Helen M. Noss

Born Mar. 11, 1917, in Chicago, IL., the second of 3 daughters of Slovenian immigrant parents. She attended J.B. Murphy Grammar School, graduated from Carl Schurz High School in Chicago in 1935, and then Ford Commercial College. For the next 4 years, she worked at secretarial positions, including for Monarch Tool and Montgomery Ward. After passing her Federal Civil Service exam, she moved to Washington, D.C., working for 5 years for the Compensation Commission and the Bureau of Public Roads, where she worked on the Alcan Highway Project. Helen was one of what is termed, the "Government Girls". Helen met her husband Carl A. Noss, a U.S. Marine, at a USO dance in 1941. They were married in Nov. 1942 and remained married for 67 years until his death in 2009. When he was transferred to North Carolina and then deployed to the Pacific, she moved back to Chicago in 1944. After Carl was discharged in Nov, 1945, they lived there and then Aurora, IL. with their 3 children: Louise, Carl Jr., and Robert. The family moved to California in 1959, first to Lancaster and then to Goleta in 1965 after their children were grown. Helen had a wide variety of work activities, including all the PTA's, census taker, county field assessor, realtor, worked at the Sears when it first opened in La Cumbre Plaza, plus a wide variety of outdoor and craft hobbies. Some of them were tailoring, rug making, calligraphy, fishing, pressed flower greeting cards, embroidery stitching, and many needle point pictures and other gifts. For many years Helen engaged in numerous community service projects. She was a lifelong backyard flower and food gardener. Helen and Carl delivered their surplus fruits and vegetables to the food bank well into their 80's. There were so many things on her list that it took 100 years to do them all. Helen is survived by 2 of her children, Louise Chadwick and Carl Noss Jr, and many dearly loved nieces, nephews, grand and great grandchildren and their families. It was a wonderful family reunion for all of us in March for her 100th birthday celebration at Vista Del Monte, where she lived the last 5 years of her very full life. She gives many thanks to all who helped her in life, including the Cottage Wound Care Center, Hospice, and the Cottage Cancer Center, who helped make it possible for her to live cancer free the last 20 years of her life. And, a special thanks to all of her great friends and helpers at Vista Del Monte. A graveside service will be held on Monday Nov. 27 at 11am at Goleta Cemetery.

Helen M. Noss

March 11, 1917 - November 18, 2017