H. Morgan Noble’s lifelong love of boats and
the sea began as a boy sailing on Tomales Bay, as he spent childhood
summers in the house his father built in 1928 on Kenneth Lane in Inverness.
He sailed Tomales Bay for the last time earlier this
year on the San Francisco Yacht Club and the Cruising Club of America’s
annual Tomales Bay cruise, anchoring at Heart’s Desire Beach and
White Gulch. Mr. Nobe, 85, died Wednesday, Nov. 23, at Marin General
Hospital.
Mr. Noble became a lieutenant in the Navy, launched
his own coastal and harbor engineering firms, and sailed in Tahiti,
New Zealand, and the Mediterranean. He taught his children to sail off
Newport Beach, and in 1951 served as a navigator on a trans-Pacific
race to Hawaii.
"He had a true love for nature – and mostly
had a passion for sailing – and most of all, his family,"
said his daughter, Alison Hartman.
Navy lieutenant
Born in Stockton in 1920, Mr. Noble graduated from
Stanford with a degree in engineering in 1942. The same year he married
Cherry Kellogg, a fellow Stanford graduate. He did graduate work the
US Naval Academy and during World War II served as a lieutenant in charge
of ship repair at Mare Island and Hunter’s Point.
Always patriotic, Mr. Noble posted a picture of the
stars and stripes outside the front door of his Belvedere home with
an inscription that read, "Proud to Be an American."
Noted his daughter, "he would go outside in the
morning, put the flag on its pole, and salute the flag with a beautiful
look on his face."
Founded two consulting firms
Early in his career Mr. Noble was appointed the first
harbor engineer with Orange County, and served for 15 years as a partner
in Dames and Moore, an international engineering firm. He founded two
consulting firms, Noble Engineering, and Noble Coastal and Harbor Engineering.
Two of his sons now run the company as Noble Consultants.
Proud of his boats and his family, "he was a
very attractive man, very modest," said longtime friend, Norma
Wells of Inverness. Mr. Noble is survived by his wife Cherry Noble of
Belvedere; sons, Ronald Noble, Scott Noble, and Jeffrey Noble; daughters,
Lynn Spiller and Alison Hartman; 12 grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren.
His ashes are interred at Mount Tamalpais Cemetery
in San Rafael.
Family members suggest that any memorial contributions
be made in Mr. Noble’s name to a favorite charity.