Obituary for Bette Ann Noble, age, 84

Bette’s obituary – February 4, 2026
 
Bette Ann Noble was born June 25, 1941 at her family’s farm in New Germany, MN. She attended and graduated Valedictorian at Watertown MN High school in 1959. Although she wanted to attend Carleton college to pursue a journalism degree, financial constraints caused a change in plans. After high school she attended St. Cloud University where she graduated with honors.

  Following college Bette was drawn to a political world in Washington, D.C. where she interned for Senator McCarthey, whom she greatly admired. However, teaching and journalism were her passions and she moved on to a teaching career in Tucson Arizona and then to San Lorenzo, California to teach eighth grade English to classes she described as a wonderful mix of English and Spanish children. The students obviously loved her as she said the very well behaved Spanish boys always wanted to carry her books. While teaching in San Lorenzo Bette lived with two of her former college classmates in San Francisco on a second floor apartment near Telegraph hill within sight of  the Golden Gate bridge where the wonderful soft sounds of foghorns could be heard through the usual daily mist. Their apartment deck was the location of many happy hours while tasting fresh sourdough bread, sharing great California wines along with good conversation. Each morning Bette drove the Bay Bridge from San Francisco to teach school. 

Bette met her future husband Terry in San Francisco while he was on a weekend vacation. They met for the first time through several other MN friends. One night they gathered together to have dinner in Chinatown at a restaurant called The Far East Café. It is still there. They had to take a cable car since the restaurant was mostly uphill from where they were. As everyone was getting on the cable car, Bette discovered that she didn’t have the ten cent required coin, so her future husband stepped forward and covered the fee. That was the beginning of 55 years of wonderful marriage and three lovely children; Mike, Jackie, and Amy. Even though Bette and Terry were both from MN and both went to the same college at the same time, it took a cable car and a dime to put them together.

Bette traveled back to her favorite San Francisco town, many times as she always came to the annual Snoopy hockey tourney to watch Terry’s team play hockey. Many dinners were enjoyed over seven days of golf, wine tasting, dinners, and of course, hockey.

Bette and her husband raised their family in the southern suburbs of Mpls. Bette taught at Richfield High school and her husband practiced pharmacy for Target Stores.

She relished  family trips to northern MN  to fish from our cabin in the Canadian waters of Lake Of The Woods . Terry’s birthplace and home town of Rainy River, Ont. and Baudette, MN.  were sources of myriad small town stories she loved to hear.  Even though she knew that some  might have been embellished a bit, she nevertheless enjoyed them. She was always fun at family gatherings.  She laughed easily. 

Bette had a way to put people at ease and was quick to bond with any stranger in a social environment. Within minutes of meeting her for the first time, she had the ability to create the feeling that you were an old friend. As a teacher, her students loved her for this warm disposition. However, Bette always laughed when she recalled that one student wrote, “I love Ms. Stender because she gives good grades”. Bette was loved as a teacher.

 

Bette’s family had a long history of cancer and it finally caught up to her as well when in her 50’s. Although given a poor prognosis because of late stage ovarian cancer, she overcame the disease and went many years cancer free. During her fight and recovery from Ovarian Cancer, she discovered a significant void of information about the disease. Subsequently, together with another ovarian cancer survivor, they created a company called MOCA to address this gap. Today the MINNESOTA OVARIAN CANCER ALLIANCE has grown to over several thousand members. Research and coordination with doctors to create early awareness is the basis of the group. The Alliance has become a gold standard within oncology practice today. Bette was very proud to be a founding member of the alliance. The organization she created has saved hundreds of lives.

Bett’s lung cancer appeared in her early eighties. Unfortunately the chemo agents used to conquer her ovarian cancer were not effective against her lung cancer.  She loved the warm Florida winters and expressed a desire to continue her chemo therapy in Naples. However, even back in FL, her condition became progressively worse as weeks and months went by. She therefore flew back to MN to be with family. Bette was attended with home hospice care and surrounded by family during her final hours. Her inability and struggle to draw a breath became too much when she finally decided to leave.

Hallmark and Webster have not yet conceived the right words to describe the pain that triggered  tears when she left. In the morning, wheel tracks in the snow left by the gurney that carried her body away were a cruel reminder of her final struggle and where they had taken her.

Bette was a voracious reader. It was difficult to find books for her that she hadn’t read.  However, friends and neighbors in MN and FL inundated her with every book they could lay their hands on. She appreciated their efforts and the books helped to take her mind from her discomfort. 

Bette’s children were the wind that gave her lifeboat traction. They were truly the inner spark that gave her life meaning. Pictures with the children and grandchildren and the look of happiness and pride on her face reveal the way she felt about each of them. She was a great mother that couldn’t do enough for her children and grandchildren. They were with Bette when she left.

Bette is survived by her husband, Terry, two daughters Jackie and Amy and one son, Michael, two grandsons and two granddaughters

No formal service has been planned at this time.  However, a celebration of life will be scheduled in June.

 In lieu of memorials or flowers, please donate,  if you so choose, to the Minnesota Ovarian Cancer Alliance.