Kenneth Eugene Noble

Kenneth Eugene Noble was born September 7, 1926, to Theora Tetrault and Roy K. Noble, and passed away on July 7, 2021.  His father died when he was 10 years old, and his mother remarried R. W. Heater.

Ken grew up in Walla Walla, attending Sharpstien elementary and starting at the age of 13 he spent summers working on a hay ranch and the rest of the year delivering newspapers.  He attended WA-Hi where he became a four-year letterman running on the track team and played football.   During his high school years, he worked delivering flowers for a local florist, worked at a hardware store, plus worked as a lifeguard, and cleaned the pool at Graybill’s.  When he turned 18, Kenny joined the Navy and was trained/worked as an aircraft mechanic.  He was later stationed to Ford Island in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii until the end of World War II.

After the war, Ken came home and attended WSU and married Walla Walla’s Marilyn Corkrum in 1947, and then joined her family in farming wheat.  In the off-season he loved working for the Sporleder brothers at their clothing store during Christmas time and spent the rest of the winter teaching skiing at Spout Springs.  In the late 1960’s, he and Neil Follett worked for about 10 years to develop the Bluewood Ski Area, which involved many meetings with the Forest Service and Dayton area citizens.  Bluewood opened in 1979.

He loved his family, farming, skiing, and playing golf (later years), all of which he pursued with enthusiasm.  He and his wife would travel for skiing and golfing trips.  He also enjoyed earlier horseback trips with friends where they would pack into the Wallowa Mountains for week-long fishing trips.

He is survived by his wife Marilyn; his children Mark Noble (Linda), Spokane; Craig Noble (Jill), Walla Walla; and Nancy Katica (Bob), Vashon Island; his grandchildren Heather (Tom) Noble Davis, Germany; Charlie (Alissa) Katica, Tacoma; Alison (Per-Lars) Katica Blomgren, Vashon Island; Jake (Sydney) Noble, Walla Walla; Katie Noble, Seattle; his seven (7) great grandchildren; and his sister Winnifred Noble Story, Spokane.

In lieu of flowers the family requests donations be made, on Ken’s behalf to the YWCA-Women’s Shelter or Fort Walla Walla Museum through the Herring Groseclose Funeral Home.

Friends and Family are invites to sign the online guest book at: www.herringgroseclose.com

A memorial reception will be held at the Walla Walla Country Club on September 4, 2021,  11 am - 2 pm.