Obituary of Richard J. Noonan

Richard James Noonan, 86, currently residing in Redding, CT, longtime resident of Huntington & Mt Sinai NY, passed peacefully on Thursday, September 12, 2024, surrounded by his family. He was the loving husband of Bernadette M. Noonan (Carney) who passed just three weeks prior, one day after their 62^nd wedding anniversary.  Dick, as he was known by all who loved him, was born on November 2, 1937, and raised in Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island; son of the late Richard and Caroline Noonan (Becker). He attended Brooklyn Tech High School and earned his Associates Degree from John Jay College. Dick and Bernadette met at Pops Ice Cream Parlor on Woodhaven Boulevard. After they were married, they had four children together whom they raised in Huntington, NY. Eventually when the children were grown, Bernadette and Dick moved further east to a gated community (The Ranches) in Mt. Sinai. 

Dad was a member of The Army Reserve in the 1960’s and he had many jobs. He was a member of the NYPD for 25 years and retired in 1984 as a Deputy Chief. He could never sit still though with four kids and their college tuitions, so he entered the private sector and took jobs at Mount Sinai Hospital, Pinkerton Security and eventually Merrill Lynch in the World Financial Center where he worked for another 8 years, retiring from there in 1993.

Dad was a smart person who would tell you that he was often lucky. Prior to joining the NYPD, he was working toward becoming an actuary, having passed the tests to do so. Within a few years at the NYPD, he became involved in a few projects that allowed him to be trained as a computer programmer and he studied at IBM to do just that. Among the many programs that he worked on in the early years, he and his team developed the first fingerprint database for the NYPD. Eventually, the group he was working with became the MISD (Management information Systems Division) and 20 years later, he became the commanding officer of that division.  Dad was an avid reader, a bridge player, and he was never shy sharing his opinions with us. In his later years, he enjoyed discussing differing viewpoints about the economy and politics with his kids as well as his grandkids. 

Our parents loved to vacation and always placed a high value on family vacations. During the early years, it was in the Catskill Mountains at Police Camp, road trips to Disney, a west coast trip though California. None of us can forget the long road trips in the station wagon or when dad came down with food poisoning in San Diego and never complained because he didn’t want to ruin our vacation; (he just laid down in the back of the car and made mom drive along the whole coast with four kids and him sleeping in the back). We all remember when mom and dad thought we were kicking the table at breakfast in San Francisco, but soon realized it was an earthquake when everyone in the restaurant was silent. Family vacations shifted to Woodloch Pines in the Poconos as well as several cruises. The family celebrated mom and dad’s 40^th and 50^th anniversary at Woodloch.  Dad enjoyed being around the whole family; outdoor pool deck overlooking the lake, family meals in the main dining room as the sun would set behind us, watching his kids and grandkids run all over the property doing silly games together. Even as their health declined, we would get sandwiches and sit on the deck and just enjoy the view while reminiscing of all of our many visits. One of the last visits with our parents to Woodloch, dad wanted to ride the viper carts with his grandkids.  We had quite a few laughs getting dad in and out of the car but nothing that a cold beer in the North Lodge couldn’t cure.

Dick is survived by his four children: Kevin Noonan (Jennifer); Doreen O’Hara (Brian); Geraldine Noonan and Veronica Zoberbier (Dan).  He is also survived by his adoring grandchildren (Erin Noonan, JP, Meaghan and Sean O’Hara, Ryan Dinkelmeyer and Grace Zoberbier), beloved nieces and nephews (Jeannie Gay, Greg Weber, Denise Pearson, Neil Weber and Monica McDonald).

In addition to his parents, Dick was predeceased by his wife, Bernadette M. Noonan (Carney) and his grandson, Kevin Noonan Jr. 

Family and friends will be received on Saturday, September 21, 2024 from 3PM to 6PM at M.A. Connell Funeral Home 934 New York Avenue Huntington Station, NY 11746  Interment will take place privately.

In lieu of flowers, the family has requested the contributions in Richard's memory may be made to the Kevin Noonan Jr. Foundation – www.kevinnoonanjrfoundation.org