Howard Allen Noble

Howard Allen Noble, age 84, passed away on Friday, December 18, 2020, in Billings, Montana peacefully at home with family close. Howard was born on October 19, 1936, in Belt, Montana. Howard was the youngest of four children born to William “Bill” and Inez Noble of Belt, Montana. His three siblings have passed before him: Edith (Croff), Donald, and Ruth (Bachelor). He is survived by his wife, Ginger, having enjoyed 53 years of happy marriage. He is also survived by his children, Wendi (James) Hammond and Jeff (Kathie) Noble; and three grandchildren, Max (Liz) Mayer, Nicole, and Erin Noble. Most of Howard’s life was spent in the Belt and Great Falls area. He worked in ranching/farming and in heavy duty construction as a young man. While he was still in school, one of his jobs was helping at the family restaurant in Belt, called Noble’s Café. He would say, “I worked my ass off,” but his sisters would correct him and say all he did was come and eat a hamburger at the café, make a mess, and perhaps take the trash out, only if reminded. Years later, when he was in his 30s, he owned his own business, Noble’s Conoco, in Great Falls for many years. He offered mechanical repair, car wash, full service at the pump, and even did snow plowing as a service in the winter. After having enough of owning his own business, with Ginger keeping book, they sold this business and he worked for the Great Falls Truck center until his mid-40s. In his 50s, he began working as the parts and service manager for Bennett Motors in Great Falls before retiring at age 62. Howard worked hard for not only “work” but for personal interests as well. Examples of this are his determination to get his pilot’s license, own his own plane, and develop a weekend getaway on Elk Creek outside of Augusta, Montana. He was also known for helping friends develop/upgrade their ranch properties whether it was running big equipment for excavating land or fencing off pasture land for beef. He was an active member of the Masonic Lodge in Great Falls. He earned his Shriner status through the Algeria Temple and greatly enjoyed his time as a T-Bird Patrol member. In his retirement, he took his care of others very seriously and called or drove to visit friends and family all over the Great Falls area. To all his loved ones who knew him best, he would say goodbye when leaving or signing off the phone saying, “Please tell them a howdy-doody for me.” This is due to his being given the nickname of “Howdy-Doody” by close friends as a young man. No services are being planned at this time. Please note that his death has no relationship to the pandemic or a hospital related death.