Gladys Rose Noles
July 19, 1917 — March 13, 2015
Gladys Noles was born in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania on July 19, 1917. Her parents, Louis and Rose Partridge, had five children, two daughters and three sons, of which she was the middle child. Gladys was of English and Irish descent. She lived her early life in Ellwood City, Pennsylvania, where she attended school and worked at the W. T. Grant store.
In 1942, during the height of WWII, Gladys wanted to serve her country, so she joined the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC), which was later converted to the Women's Army Corps (WAC), a branch of the United States Army. She did her 6-week training at Daytona Beach, Florida. She was then stationed at Jacksonville, Florida where she monitored and identified air traffic along the eastern coast. She was then transferred to Mitchel Field in Long Island, New York. During this time, she was stationed at the Air Defense Post, later known as the Rosyln Air Force Station, which was located on land owned by the Mackay Estate and leased by the U.S. Army Air Corps. She plotted on maps the locations of anything that moved, whether it was U.S. aircraft or submarines, or unidentified aircraft or submarines. In 1945, she was discharged from the service.
After the service, she returned home where she and her sister opened a beauty shop in the parlor of their family's home. After a couple of years, she went to China Lake, California where she obtained a civil service job working on classified programs. During this time, she met and married her husband, Richard Noles, who served his country for 20 years in the United States Navy and later worked for North American/Rockwell. They had two daughters, Patti and Jerene. They lived in Port Hueneme, CA, White Sands, NM, Lakewood, CA, Heath, OH, and finally settled in Long Beach, CA, in 1965. Gladys and her family enjoyed camping and traveling around the United States. Richard and Gladys owned a small place in Paso Robles by Lake Nacimiento where the family enjoyed going to rest and relax and the girls enjoyed water skiing. Gladys has been a member of the Cerritos Gad-A-Bouts senior group for many years and enjoyed going to the meetings every Monday. She moved to Vintage Cerritos in August 2011. She enjoyed sitting in the Rose Garden when family and friends came to visit. She made many new friends and enjoyed all the activities, especially bingo!
Gladys' husband, Richard Noles, passed away on Veteran's Day (Nov. 11) 1983. Gladys is survived by her daughters Patti (Michael) Dondero and Jerene (Dennis) Henry, grandchildren Lindsay (Andrew) DeMetropolis, Kelly Dondero, Kaitlyn Dondero, and Lauren Henry, great-grandchildren Dylan and Malia DeMetropolis, brother Edward Partridge, and many nieces, nephews, and cousins.
Visitation will be held on Tuesday, March 17, 2015, from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm at Luyben-Dilday Mortuary, 5161 E. Arbor Road, Long Beach, California. Service will be held on Wednesday, March 18, 2015, at 11:00 am at St. Joseph Church, 6220 E. Willow Street, Long Beach, California. Internment to be held privately at Riverside National Cemetery.
Arrangements under the direction of Luyben-Dilday Mortuary, Long Beach, CA.
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