Paul Noland

Judge Paul Noland liked marrying people. Whether on civil ceremony day at the courthouse, or for his own grandchildren, he made each one a celebration. He liked it because he loved his family and hoped the people he married would enjoy something like the 67 years of marriage and family he shared with the love of his life, Peggy. Paul didn't like divorcing people, which he was assigned for a few years as a judge, but he approached it with kindness and the wisdom of Solomon. Once, he had to threaten a deadbeat dad with a two by four if he didn't support his children (metaphorically of course), and another time resolved a veritable War of the Roses which included projectile pizza boxes among other disputes. He was known for having lots of justice in his courtroom, yet few dull moments! Paul much preferred presiding over jury trials, just as he preferred trying scores of cases as an attorney on behalf of various doctors, nurses, railroads (including the Elgin, Joliet, and Eastern Railway), steel companies (including U.S. Steel), injured people, grandchildren in jams, and many others. And for the few times he couldn’t assist (such as if the matter were out of state), he would reach out to his extended network of friends and colleagues throughout the country. Paul excelled at trials, leading to his induction into the prestigious American College of Trial Lawyers in 1986, reserved for the best and most accomplished litigators in the country. He excelled at lots of other things in his professional career, becoming president of a major manufacturing company, starting his own law practice (Heroux and Noland), helping make other law firms the best they could be, and more importantly, protecting America during the Cold War as a United States Navy Lieutenant (junior grade). During his service years, Paul was a navigator, guiding the Super Constellation reconnaissance plane from Hawaii to Midway to Anchorage looking for potential incursions or heading off another Pearl Harbor disaster. Many years later, Paul played an important role as the local counsel during the 1982 Tylenol murder crisis in Chicago. Paul worked closely with Dave Collins, his Notre Dame classmate and the then Chairmen of McNeil Consumer Products (the Johnson & Johnson subsidiary that made Tylenol) to partner with elected officials and law enforcement to identify the cause of the tampered Tylenol pills, prevent more victims, and mitigate the crisis. In 2022, the Chicago Tribune ran a series on the 40th anniversary of the murders, interviewing Paul and Dave extensively. See https://www.chicagotribune.com/tag/tylenol-murders/. He was a remarkable man who lived an extraordinary life.

Paul loved four ladies in his life: the Church, Lady Liberty, the University of Notre Dame du Lac, and--at the top of the list--Margaret Marie Hanrahan of Woodstock, Illinois, the aforementioned Peggy. Though a ruffian from Oak Park, he somehow made his way to Lake Geneva one night, where he met Peggy and promised to court her, though it took him a year to work up the courage. There was only one thing he got emotional about when speaking, and that was about his love for Peggy and all that she did for and gave him and the life they shared together. Theirs was a love story for the ages that will continue forever. After their marriage at St. Mary’s in Woodstock, IL, Paul and Peggy lived in Honolulu where she taught at the Punahou School while he helped protect the mainland. After participating in Hawaii's 50th statehood celebration, Paul and Peggy returned to Illinois where they started a family and he embarked on his legal career in Chicago after graduating from DePaul Law School in 1963. They began in Elmhurst and moved to Glen Ellyn in 1965, where they have been for the past 60 years. Paul seemingly participated in everything and helped the community in many ways, which would take another 91 years to recount, but included being a board member of Rosary College, participant on the Marianjoy Hospital Corporate Development Committee, member of the Glen Ellyn Jaycees, and longtime coach of many Glen Ellyn Park District sports teams.

True to his 100 percent Irish ancestry, Paul came from a large clan (including some still in County Kerry) and reveled in “presiding” over a large clan of his own. He had three siblings, more than 30 first cousins, and dozens of more distant cousins. He had five children, 16 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren (thus far). To his grandchildren and their friends, Paul is known as Zeke, a nod to his love for cowboy lore. To name names, in addition to Peggy, he is survived by his children Michael (Carrie), Molly (Alfred) Mattaliano, Jaime (Harry) Manion, Bartholomew (Greta), and Daniel (Lisa); his grandchildren Melissa Noland (Kenneth Jackson), Victoria (Timothy) Stanton, David (Erin) Noland, Valerie (Kevin) Cotter, Cara Mattaliano (Robert Stone), Emily (Nolan) Downs, John Patrick (“JP”) Manion, Mac Manion, Lucy (Jaron) Long, Bobby Manion, Natalie (Austin) Jasper, Samuel Noland, Zachary Noland, Quentin Noland, Brendan Noland, and Kathryn Noland; and his great-grandchildren Margaret Stanton, William Stanton, Theodore Stanton, James Noland, and Liam Cotter.

Paul was good at many things - crossword puzzles, tennis, storytelling, volleyball, and spelling. He wasn’t very good at golf but loved to narrate the event as he hit a shot and give ponds and trees which interrupted his ball flight funny names. One thing that will be missed immediately is his singing. He was known for singing the best and loudest at Sunday Mass, cocktail parties, Sunny Italy restaurant (aka Rosie’s) after Notre Dame games, and his classmates’ wakes, sometimes entering the wake unknown but leaving with many new friends and admirers. His rendition of Danny Boy recently upstaged one of the great Irish Tenors at his granddaughter Lucy’s marriage to Jaron at the Kilkai Castle in Ireland.

While is often the case it was too early for us, it’s hard to argue Paul was cheated in life: He was born on July 20, 1934 and died on September 16, 2025, an impressive 91 years. Up until age 90, he was beating  75-year-olds at tennis, a feat he might mention upon returning from the Glen Ellyn clay courts, which he helped maintain for 50 years, and which will  soon be renamed the “Judge Paul Noland Court” by the Glen Ellyn Park District. Paul’s loving parents were Paul Hammond Noland and Catherine O’Connell Noland. Paul’s three siblings included one brother John (aka Jack) who predeceased him just a few weeks ago; his sister Nancy (Michael) Brennan who predeceased him a few years ago, and his sister Catherine (Ron) Fox.

Visitation will be held Friday, September 19, 2025 from 5 PM to 8 PM at Leonard Memorial Funeral Home, 565 Duane Street, Glen Ellyn. A funeral mass will be held on Saturday, September 20 at 11 AM at St. Petronille Catholic Church, 420 Glenwood Ave. in Glen Ellyn, where Paul was a 60-year parishioner who assisted in everything from soup to nuts (usher, reader, legal adviser, etc.) In lieu of flowers, memorial donations to St. Petronille Catholic School would be appreciated online at https://stpetschool.org/the-fund-for-st-pets or by mail to 625 Prospect Avenue, Glen Ellyn, IL 60137.

Up to the very end, Paul made it about others. When his amazing doctors and nurses asked how he was doing, he’d invariably say he was doing fine, perhaps even good. And while the family may have heard some concerning news, he only heard the good stuff. That’s probably why he lived so long, and with such happiness, kindness, generosity and hope, because that is who he was to the core and why so many people loved him so much. Thank God for Paul Noland; there will never be another like him but he will always be with us in spirit!

To paraphrase one of his favorite songs:

And our hearts forever

Praise thee Notre Dame

And our hearts forever

Love thee Paul Noland!

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