Peter Noel

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Peter (Pete) James Noel, 66, of San Diego, California, passed away on Sunday, November 1.

Family man. Generous. Driven.

Pete was born on September 9, 1954, in Indianapolis, Indiana to E. Randolph (Randy) and Rita Andrea Noel. One of six siblings, Pete had a strong love of family from a young age. You’d rarely see him not spending time with his brothers and sister, and (sometimes) organizing them to prank other family members.

Noticing Pete’s curious mind, his mother encouraged a paper route to keep him occupied. But for Pete, the paper route would have to wait. He had big plans and even bigger ideas. 

After graduating from Cardinal Ritter High School in 1972, his inquisitive nature led him to earn a degree in mechanical engineering from Purdue University. This began his professional career as a pioneer in computer graphics at General Electric’s Aircraft Division.

However, Pete’s drive continued to grow. After leaving G.E., he went on to partake in and lead multiple advancements within the CAD/CAM field at Calma, Computervision, and Autodesk. While at Autodesk, Peter took charge in a new venture in 3D home design, which eventually spun off and became Scene7. 

After dominating the industry in enterprise imaging technology for online sales, Scene7 was acquired by Adobe, where Pete started as a VP leading the Scene7 division, followed by the lead for the company-wide transition to Cloud services. This continues to serve millions of professionals and artists worldwide. 

Upon leaving Adobe, and always striving for innovation, Pete turned his focus to integrating multiple advanced medical technologies for patient care. 

In 1976, Pete met Patricia Louise (Patty) Porter at a party of a mutual friend. Two years later, they were married on July 8, 1978, and spent the next forty-two years together. 

Nothing meant more to Pete than spending time with his children, extended family, and friends. 

Backyard entertaining, neighborhood basketball games, and water-skiing were just a few ways Pete enjoyed life at home. But he wasn’t one to sit still very long. A lover of sport and exercise, he tried to share this passion with his children. He took them hiking, boating, camping, and exploring the wilds of the national parks. He coached soccer, took early morning swims, and even dabbled in a bit of magic and puppetry—for the children, of course. Pete’s nieces and nephews nicknamed him “Uncle Fun” because of his ability to make everyone laugh and feel loved. 

In the last ten years, Pete enthusiastically embraced his role as “whapa” to his four grandchildren. He taught them how to swim, ride bikes, and at the end of the day, enjoyed reading them their favorite bedtime stories. Although he lived away from them, Pete would Skype them each day to play alongside, entertain, and encourage.

In 2012, when he received a diagnosis of multiple myeloma, Pete’s drive helped him overcome his greatest challenge yet. He faced it head on, determined not to let it consume his life. He continued to laugh, he continued to hug his grandchildren, and he continued to keep pressing on and not allow his resolve to be shaken. 

Pete never lost his faith, his wit, or his youthful charm.

Pete is survived by his wife, Patricia (Patty) Noel, daughters Tara Noel and Angela (Christian) Wallstrum, son Nicholas (Rouhina Mehregan) Noel, grandchildren Addyson Bailey, Emma, Teigen and Saviah Wallstrum, siblings Michael (Barbara) Noel, Jeff (Laura) Noel, Greg (Debbie) Noel, Joan (Brian) Kinnaman and John (Laura) Noel and many nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents, E. Randolph (Randy) and Rita Noel, parents-in-law John and Virginia Porter, and nephew Adam Noel.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to Father Joe’s Villages in San Diego, California.

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