Email  Print

Noelle Miller Bon

Noelle Miller Bon was born Sept. 3, 1929, in San Francisco, to Douglas and Geneva Miller. She died peacefully, May 3, at her home in Glen Ellen, surrounded by her family. She was 81 years old.

Her earliest years were spent in Hillsborough. The family then moved to Beltane Ranch in Glen Ellen and eventually to a home on Lawndale Road in Kenwood. She attended Dunbar Elementary School in Glen Ellen and graduated from Lowell High School in San Francisco in 1947. Noelle then attended Stanford University and received a degree in psychology in 1951. Soon after graduating she moved to San Francisco where she worked as a wire operator-trader at William R. Staats. There she met the love of her life, Richard Neales Bon. They married six months later and moved to Belvedere, where they immediately started their family. She and Richard have three children, Amy, Matthew and Sam. Later the family moved to Berkeley and then finally to Glen Ellen to the Valley of the Moon.

Early in her life, Noelle was an avid equestrian. She owned a number of horses and always loved to ride. Noelle devoted her life to her family, raising children, Suffolk sheep and grapes. Her cats, Mink, Lewis, Leo and Cleo, had a special place in her home and her heart. She loved all animals and had a special way with them.

In the 1980s, Noelle trained as a docent for Audubon's Bouverie Preserve in Glen Ellen and delighted in leading groups of schoolchildren on nature hikes. She later deepened her commitment to the organization singing in the Quercus Choir and raising funds.

Noelle loved the home she and Richard built, surrounded by views and sitting on a hilltop outside of Glen Ellen. Every spring she looked forward to the hundreds of daffodils that added to the views.

Noelle was an amazing cook, a voracious reader, a dedicated mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, and a wiz at spelling and crossword puzzles.

She was an original environmentalist and enjoyed birdwatching, spring wildflowers and observing nature in all its forms. She relished sharing this passion with children, especially her grandchildren. And even when a mountain lion showed up on her porch recently, she opened the porch door to shoo it away with a broom.

Noelle and Richard enjoyed traveling abroad, but in the end she was happiest in her beautiful home, cooking wonderful dinners with Richard and her extended family.

Noelle was always politically astute and intrigued with current affairs. No one was more thrilled by the election of Barack Obama than she was.

She is survived by her devoted husband, Richard; three children Amy, Matthew (Lynn) and Sam (Suzanna); six grandchildren, Ryan, Stephanie, Grace, Ian, Eleanor and Bella, and one great-grandson, Christian. She also leaves behind her brother, Douglas Miller, of Dallas, Texas; sister, Rosemary Wood, of Mendocino; and many nieces and nephews.

The family would like to extend their deepest appreciation to Noelle's devoted caretaker Hepi and to Hospice By The Bay.

At Noelle's request no services will be held.