Obituary of Danny Estell Noel

   Lt. Col. Danny E. Noel was born on June 15, 1950 in Cincinnati, Ohio to Estell Noel and Irma (Funk) Noel. He passed away at his residence in Colorado Springs, Colorado on April 21, 2021.    

Dan Noel served as the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Senior Advisor to NORAD&NORTHCOM. A member of DOT's Office of Intelligence, Security and Emergency Response; Mr. Noel has served as the National Continuity Program Manager for the Department. His experience includes developing department policy, plans, and excercises to ensure Departmental and Operating Administrations' continuity plans and capability fulfills the requirements to perform Primary Mission Essential Functions during any catastrophic event. 

Previously, Mr. Noel served as Manager of the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) Emergency Operations Division. Mr. Noel led the crisis management infrastructure employing an integrated system of policy, procedures, personnel, facilities, and communications; ensuring FAA senior officials had timely accurate information to plan, direct, and control all aspects of FAA essential operations. He was responsible for FAA's preparedness and response to natural disasters, Continuity of Operations (COOP), support to special access Continuity of Government (COG) programs, pandemic influenza planning, facilitating FAA support for the Civil Reserve Air Fleet, and overall emergency preparedness. Mr. Noel led the Emergency Operations Division during September 11, 2001 and Hurricane Katrina. 

Mr. Noel was a retired USAF Lieutenant Colonel, Comman Pilot who served as a C-141 Instructor Pilot. His assignments included Laredo AFB, TX, Travis AFB, CA, McGuire AFB, NJ, Altus AFB, OK, and a joint tour to the FAA Headquarters in Washington DC. His C-141 missions included Operations Baby Lift and New Life extracting orphans and South Vietnamese civilians who supported the U.S. from Saigon prior to Viet Nam's fall. Lieutenant Noel was transiting Tan Son Nhut airport just days before the fall of Saigon. 

During his Air Force assignment to FAA Headquarters, Lt. Col. Noel made great strides to collaborate with the Air Force to augment military mobilizations with the civilian airlift while ensuring flight safety. In Operation Desert Shield, during the first historic activiation of the Civil Reserve Air Fleet, Lt. Col. Noel led the FAA Crisis Response Working Group facilitating the safe movement of 709,000 personnel and 126,000 tons of equipment on 5,441 civilian CRAF missions. 

Mr. Noel is preceded in death by his parents; Estell Noel and Irma Noel.

He is survived by his loving wife of 47 years, Roberta "Bobbie" Noel, son, Kenneth Noel of Fredericksburg, VA, and brother-in-law's Richard (Vicki) Hedstrom of Hyrum, UT and Roger Hedstrom of Chicago Heights, IL. 

In lieu of flowers please consider making a donation in Dan's honor to Mt. Carmel Veteran's Service Center, 530 Communication Circle, Colorado Springs, CO 80905 veteranscenter.org; Pikes Peak Hospice, 2550 Tenderfoot Hill St, Colorado Springs, CO 80906 pikespeahospice.org, American Cancer Society, 10065 E. Harvard Ave, Suite 400, Denver, CO 80231 cancer.org; or Charis Christian Ceneter, 10285 Federal Dr, Colorado Springs, CO 80908 charishristiancenter.com.