SULLIVAN – Sylvia Gordon Gray Noyes, beloved daughter, sister, wife, mother, grandmother and aunt, died March 27, 2011, in Ellsworth, at age 85.
She was baptized in 1941 in the United Methodist Church and maintained the church’s values and principals her whole life. In 2002 she became a lifetime member of Order of the Eastern Star. Active in United Methodist Women, Mrs. Noyes also actively served her church in the pulpit, providing leadership in the annual Black History Month services, local, and international missionary outreach and projects to support the Save the Children charity. The daughter of Linwood and Mary Gordon Gray, Mrs. Noyes attended Sullivan schools and graduated from Colby College in 1947. From a young age, she knew she wanted to teach; her Colby education prepared her well for a long, successful career in the classroom. Mrs. Noyes initially taught at the high school level – at Oxford, Warren, St. Croix and Sumner Memorial – and later as an English literature, poetry and writing teacher at Husson University, Bangor. Throughout the 20-plus year span of her career at Husson, Mrs. Noyes was recognized by students and peers as a master teacher who challenged and inspired students to think critically and to write well. She was published in literary journals and presented original papers at academic conferences throughout her career. Mrs. Noyes earned a Master of Arts degree in English from the University of Maine in 1972. On Sept. 27, 1953, Miss Gray married the love of her life, George William Noyes, in Sullivan. Devoted to each other, this couple raised four daughters, Mary (Cloutier), Amy (Earickson), Julie (Noyes) and Nancy (Coumou), in a home filled with love and laughter in Brewer. After retirement the couple moved “home” to Sullivan.
She is survived by her brother, Carle Gray; her husband; her children and their spouses, Robert Cloutier, Jeff Earickson and Eric Coumou; and five grandchildren. Mrs. Noyes was predeceased by her sisters, Barbara Martin, Joan Havey and Freda Masse.
All are invited to a service in celebration of Sylvia Noyes’ life 11 a.m. Saturday, April 2, at Franklin United Methodist Church. A reception and committal service will be held afterward. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the United Methodist Church. A service of Bragdon-Kelley Funeral Homes. Condolences may be sent at
www.bragdonkelley.com.