Obituary of John-Francis Noonan

John Francis Noonan, a poet and traveler who was born and raised in Morristown, died in Paris on May 14. He was 57. The cause was cancer. He is survived by his wife, Marie Line Coste; his son, Edward and his twin daughters, Tess and Zelda. He is also survived by his father, David; his sister, Eileen of Wantage; his sister, Margaret Tatlow; his brothers, Michael and David of Morristown, and his brother, Brian of Jamestown, R.I. He was predeceased by his mother, Eileen. He will be greatly missed by his brothers-and sisters- in- law, his nine nieces and nephews, his dear aunt Mary Morris, his many other aunts, uncles and cousins and his scores of friends around the world. John graduated from St. Margaret's School and Bayley Ellard High School and attended the University of Dayton and the University of Arizona. For the last 20 years he was an administrative officer with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, based in Paris. John was a highly regarded figure in the Paris expatriate poetry community, well-known for his heartfelt, sharp-eyed poems and songs about life in America, and for his unique, jazz-inflected reading style. Before he moved to Paris in the late 80s, he made his home at various times in Colorado, Arizona, San Francisco, Alaska and New York City. There was no job he wouldn't try, having worked as a caddy, carpenter, painter, roofer, pump jockey, tree surgeon, dishwasher, cook, bartender, teacher, tent man, pizza man and ice cream man. He fished for salmon in Alaska and he worked the Georges Banks out of Newport with his cousin, Richard Romano. He was, above all, a kind and loving man who looked for the good in people and almost always managed to find it. Though he has lit out for the territory, his beautiful spirit lives on in all who had the good fortune to know him. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at St. Margaret's Church in Morristown at 10 a.m. on Wednesday May 27. Interment at Holy Rood Cemetery will follow. Hours of visitation are from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. on Tuesday, May 26. The Doyle Funeral Home, 106 Maple Ave., Morristown, is in charge of the arrangements.