Daniel Ward Noonan

Daniel Ward Noonan, a 3rd generation lifelong resident of St. Regis, passed away at his home on Oct. 26, 2022 after a hard-fought battle with cancer. He was born on May 16, 1958 to the late Robert “Tiger Bob” Noonan and Mary K. “Betty” (Kajewski) Noonan in Missoula, Montana as the youngest of eight children: Jeff, Kathy, Patty, Tim, Lyle, Eleanor, and Jim.

In 1964, Dan began 1st grade in St. Regis and impressed his classmates with his extensive knowledge of sports statistics. He continued amassing an amazing amount of sports information throughout his life. Beginning when he was 9 years old, he spent the next three summers at his sister, Kathy’s, apartment on the Western Montana campus, where he impressed the Bulldog football team so much with his sports trivia that he was their unofficial mascot and became a familiar face on the WMC campus.

Dan participated in all of the sports that St. Regis grade school and high school had to offer and often shared memories of the “glory days”. He graduated from St. Regis High School in 1976, then went on to attend the University of Montana.

Moving back to St. Regis, Dan began a career as a logger in the mountains of Montana and Idaho, making several lifelong friends. During that time, he met and married Keri Abermoske. They had two daughters, Samantha Lynae and Kacy Chylene. They divorced but remained good friends, so much so that Dan called Keri’s new husband, Kirk Willhite, his “husband-in-law.”

In 1993 Dan shifted his career path to residential and commercial construction. He began his construction career working on the addition to St. Regis School. The highlight of his time working on the school was having lunch with his daughters every day.

Dan started his own company, Noonan Construction, in 1996. Since that time, he has left his mark on western Montana by building or remodeling countless homes and businesses throughout Mineral County. Dan’s honesty and integrity made him a much sought after contractor. He mentored and befriended many of his employees, providing a foundation for some to pursue their own careers in contracting.

Beginning in 2001, Dan started his football coaching career with the St. Regis Tigers football team. They made it to the playoffs for the first time in several years. For 10 years Dan coached the Tigers and mentored numerous students throughout his time. He had the pleasure of coaching his nephews, Danny Noonan and Andrew Hammon. He was excited to be selected to coach special teams at the Montana Class-C All-Star game in the spring of 2003.

Dan had a lifelong obsession with sports. He loved all things St. Regis Tigers, Montana Grizzlies (season tickets were a basic necessity), Lakers, and Raiders. He could answer any sports question you asked, especially Raiders trivia, even in his final days. Dan was also an avid golfer, participating in the St. Regis Men’s League, playing in several golf tournaments each year, losing plenty of golf balls, and even making a hole-in-one at the Trestle Creek Golf Course.

In 2003 he met the love of his life, Nicole, at a Heart concert in Idaho. She was a University of Montana graduate, but more importantly, she was an avid Griz fan! They were married in June of 2005 and had their daughter, Grace Leigh, in December of 2006. Dan and Nicole had a wonderful life together golfing, skiing, rafting on the Clark Fork River, watching Griz football games, competing in family game nights, and enjoying each other's company.

Dan enjoyed socializing with his many friends at the bar after hard days at work. He loved to have people come to his house for barbecues, football games, holidays and game nights. He always had a winning Halloween costume and liked to celebrate New Year’s Eve. He often took his daughters on drives through the mountains, helping them to appreciate the beauty of Montana.

Dan touched thousands of lives throughout his lifetime and will be missed by those who loved him. His spirit will continue to live on through the homes he built, his beautiful wife and daughters, as well as his many friends and family.

In addition to his parents, Dan was preceded in death by his sister Patty and his brothers Tim and Lyle. He is survived by his wife, Nicole, his daughters Samantha (Gerrick) Ware of Waianae, Hawaii, Kacy (Patrick Roy) Noonan of Plains, Montana, and Grace Noonan of St. Regis, Montana; his five grandchildren, Amaiya, Gavin, Amari, Rocklynn, and Zaiden; several nieces and nephews, and especially close to him, his nieces Patty (Austin) Dillree of Seeley Lake, Montana and Amanda (Pat) Duncan of Las Vegas, Nevada and nephew Danny (Raina) Noonan of Missoula, Montana; his sisters, Kathy Davis of Seeley Lake, Montana and Eleanor (Rayme) Vinson of Juneau, Alaska; his brothers, Jeff Noonan of Laughlin, Nevada and James (Candy) Noonan of Anaconda, Montana.

He will be greatly missed by extended family, friends, and coworkers who loved him dearly.