Noel Iiams Daniels

Noel Iiams Daniels was born to Reverend Delbert and Margaret Daniels in Medford, Oregon on Dec 5, 1945. He arrived several years after his siblings, Peggy and Paul. On January 26, 2023, Noel is also the last of his immediate family to go to be with Jesus.

Noel spent his childhood in church, in school, and in trees. Delbert was a compassionate intellectual and Margaret, practical. Noel was both, as well as a strategist. Apparently, he told each church lady her pie was his favorite to encourage her to bring it to the Sunday potluck, then while others served up potato and macaroni salad, Noel went straight for the pies. This mostly well-behaved pastor’s kid did have his moments… One day he answered the home phone, “Morgan’s morgue. You stab ‘em, we slab ‘em. Some go to heaven; some go to hell…o.” On the other end was a distraught woman calling the pastor for prayer because her husband was in the hospital. Fortunately, she was too upset to hear his ill-timed greeting. But Noel said he never answered the phone that way again. He learned the important lessons of childhood and told every woman their homemade cookies were the best.

Noel is survived by his wife and sweetheart Teresa Daniels. Their life-long courtship began in the eighth grade when they sang a duet in the 1959 Washington Junior High School Christmas program. Teresa sang the first verse and Noel joined in for the chorus. It was going well until Noel queued up for his solo verse. Much louder than Teresa, Noel’s voice overwhelmed the sound system ringing out in an ear-splitting squeal. After that, they stuck to singing together in harmony.

Teresa is still surrounded by three children and their spouses: Tyler (born in 1969) and Juliana Daniels, Sara (born in 1974) and Ephiram Bosse, and Ben (born in 1986) and Stephanie Daniels, and nine grandchildren: Katie Daniels, Jacob Daniels, Kate Bosse, Joel Candelaria, Zion Bosse, Grace Bosse, Maggie Bosse, Jack Daniels, and Wyatt Daniels. Their second child Lisa Daniels (born in 1971) far outlived the prognosis of her genetic disorder and passed in 1986 at the age of 15. During those 15 years, his time at home, especially Sunday mornings before church, was Noel’s time with Lisa. Though she wasn’t verbal, he would talk and sing to Lisa while he fed her, bathed her, dressed her, and did her hair. This month, Lisa’s remains will finally be removed from his wardrobe and buried with Noel at Santa Nella Veterans Memorial.

Noel and Teresa sang duets their entire married life. They sang together in church, and often in hospitals and retirement homes. They visited hundreds of people over the years – family, friends, church members, friends of friends, and even Noel’s clients. Noel and Teresa lived in harmony and service with one another for over 55 years of marriage. In his final hour, Teresa and two of their children sang to him as he had done for so many others.

Noel had a paid job every year of his life since the age of 7. He mowed the lawns of neighbors. Then he added a paper route. But he was too young to be hired, so he talked his older brother Paul into signing on for a cut of the earnings. Through school, he framed houses and worked at a gas station. His parents once found him sleepwalking in the night and after watching him for a while realized he was putting gas in a car, checking the oil, and washing windows… the man literally worked in his sleep.

Noel applied this work ethic to every venture and he graduated from Bellflower High School in 1964 as their top math student. He had his mind set on attending Occidental College. So he searched high and low and found an obscure scholarship for pastor’s kids that, along with a part-time job selling shoes at

Sears, enabled him to attend Oxy. It was an eventful season for Noel. With the Vietnam War on the horizon, Noel joined the ROTC program at Occidental in 1966. Then, he and Teresa married on June 17, 1967. Noel graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Occidental College in 1968. He was distinguished as the year’s Business Department Honor Student. On the same day as his graduation, Noel was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant into the US Air Force.

Noel served in the Air force on active duty from June 1968 to February 1970, rising to Captain. As a Supply Officer, Noel put his business sense and education to work. As a Second Lieutenant, Noel was honored as the US Air Force Supply Officer of the Year for his work negotiating a contract and developing a preventative maintenance program that saved the Air Force millions of dollars. The program was the basis of the systems used by major airlines to this day. Later, Noel worked behind the scenes to find and fix long-standing systems and supply-chain issues for key airplane parts, allowing the planes to go back into service during the war. Noel served in the Air Force Reserves until Sept 1979.

In 1970, Noel joined Teresa’s family’s business Triangle Grain. Noel had used one of the very first computers (it filled an entire room!) at Occidental to develop the ideal dairy feed to maximize milk production. The cost-saving feed formula had so much molasses the feed would have leaked out of the trucks all the way to the dairies! How was that going to work? Noel was not deterred. When he joined the company, he developed a novel dairy feed delivery process where the molasses was poured over the top of the dry feed after delivery. For the next 14 years, Noel helped Triangle grow through his sales prowess and expanded the company with a second mill in Fresno. Noel and Teresa moved their family to Fresno in 1971, where they spent the rest of their married life… except for those 9 months in Naperville, Illinois (1985). It was novel (snow and everything) but in the end, not a fit for the California family.

Noel worked until the work was all done – the dishes, the vacuuming, the laundry, the yard. When Noel did sit down to watch a football game or the news, no longer in motion, he often fell asleep. In 1986, Noel was licensed as a stockbroker. In the beginning, the family spent hours each week folding and stuffing mailers full of investment tips and opportunities. Saturday morning breakfasts at the local diner or donut shop were followed by pushing the mailers through office doors. His business grew. Noel started early, always the first person at the office before the market opened at 6 am, and more often than not, was the one who turned out the lights at day’s end. Only in recent years did he leave for lunch early. It was ironic that his heart attack happened at an early lunch. Noel was asked many times over the years to submit business plans to his brokerage firm. He always provided the same one: “Live my life so I don’t miss heaven. Make sure my kids get there too. Take as many people with me as possible. Work every day as hard as I can, to the best of my ability. If I do those things, not only will I succeed, and my customers will thrive as well.” Noel ended his career working with Adam Bay at Full Armor Investments, a name that reflected the service and protection of others that was a hallmark of his life.

Noel loved spending time with people, and he LOVED telling stories. If he was sitting next to you today, he would offer you a warm soda and a piece of soft bread spread with peanut butter then folded in half. Then he would tell you a story. His love for stories was part showmanship, part connection with other people, part advice, and part nostalgia. And he enjoyed every part. Noel believed in legacy and liked to remember and chronicle events. He and Teresa started each year by adding the previous year’s important events to the family diary. It’s quite an impressive documentary!

Ever thoughtful and purpose-driven, Noel and Teresa’s “Goals of the Daniels Family” were posted inside the kitchen cabinet their whole married life: 1) Solve the big problems. How do we perceive life and

death? What principles will we live by? The Bible is our source for answers. 2) Learn to rely on God as our source. 3) Know who we are fighting and who’s side we are on. 4) Give ourselves away through service. 5) Choose the positive: be a part of the solution. 6) Write out your situation: goals, needs, blessings, options, budgets, etc. Think and talk with yourself. Allow the spirit to work. 7) Build events into our lives and record them for remembering. 8) Look around and note what you see. Be observant. Respond to what is there. 9) Learn to fall and rise. 10) Stay in prayer, communing with God. Pray in care for others. 11) Pray for the person you’re going to marry or are married to. 12) Always tell the truth.

Noel was a true family man. He enjoyed and prioritized simple times with his wife and children, whether watching the Muppet Show with kids in his lap, playing Marco Polo in the pool, or family vacations at a Bass Lake cabin. True to his name and his generous nature, Noel especially liked playing Santa and passing out gifts. For years, He even put Noel “Christmas” Daniels on his business cards. He said it made him more memorable, but we knew it was because he liked to give. Noel provided for his family and he invested time, wisdom, and experience in his family. Even when he needed to get across the country to get back to his job in Fresno, Noel went out of the way to show Tyler and Sara the one-of-a-kind Grand Canyon. And he never let them forget how they looked for only a hot minute before asking, “Where’s the gift shop?” Despite this, Noel was very proud of his children. He and Teresa raised a family of servants. Noel and Teresa’s oldest son Tyler is the fourth generation of ministers in the Daniels family. Sara is the Director of the Madera County of Department of Public Health. Ben followed in Noel’s footsteps serving in the US Air Force.

Noel was like his mom’s homemade applesauce: hearty, wholesome, economical, practical, sweet, enjoyable, and plentiful. If he liked something, he was sure you would (or should) too and would share with enthusiasm all its best features. You name it – the latest foot stompin’ gospel song he had heard, pork and beans, Teresa’s latest painting, the place he toured in the city you were going to visit (“You have to go see…”), the nickname he thought up for his grandchild (they all had one) – he would sell it to you. He once tried to convince Sara to paint the station wagon yellow for the prom… “It would be perfect – it’s a ‘lemon-sine.’ Plush seats. Power windows. Everyone would be jealous.”

Station wagons did become cool again (who would have thought?). While he was early on that prediction, Noel was known for his forecasting in the market. He read prospectuses, newspapers, articles, and people, and studied trends. Noel’s desk at home always had stacks of reading material with notes in the margins and lines underlined. To some, his decisions sometimes appeared too quick, even rash. But those who knew him well understood his thorough preparation to be ready to decide confidently and act quickly. Noel was almost always right – it was kind of annoying. And he didn’t keep his insights to himself. He genuinely wanted to help everyone succeed. Many sought advice from Noel one-on-one. He also served on several church and non-profit boards.

Noel was driven to take care of others. The Lord blessed and called Noel to provide for his family, his clients, his neighbors and friends, and ministry. His study and work ethic came from his commitment to providing and giving generously. Without request or fanfare, he would provide for others’ needs. It was practical. And it was love. Noel was known as the standard for fiduciary responsibility in Fresno. This was rooted in his integrity paired with his deep desire to do his best for his clients. In his entire 37-year career as a stockbroker (1986-2023), not one of his clients ended their days without provision.

Noel was also a student of the Word of God. His desk is filled with stacks of hand-written sermons, almost all on the back of papers that would have been thrown away or notepads from hotels or

investment companies. A seasoned public speaker, Noel loved a bible lesson with a clever slogan or catchy central message. “The book of Colossians is all about baking cakes and giving them away.” (You all are going to go read Colossians now and see if that’s true.) As long-time members of People’s Church in Fresno, Noel and Teresa sang in the choir together. Noel also served on the board, taught Boys Brigade for 25 years, and also taught the Manna Sunday School Class for over 25 years. Noel was ordained as a minister in 2006 and pastored at Easterby Presbyterian Church for 2 years. Later, Noel served as Visitation Pastor for Bethel Christian Center in addition to singing in the choir, co-teaching Joy Fellowship and Sunday School with Teresa, and co-leading Evangelism Explosion with Teresa. He loved to preach whenever and wherever he was asked, including many times at the Rescue Mission. Noel especially loved to study how scripture illuminated current events and God’s hand in current affairs. He self-published a small book on the topic. He also self-published a book with Teresa about the infilling and outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

Noel’s deepest conviction was to share the saving power of Jesus Christ. His briefcase was filled with tracts, so he was always prepared to share the love of Jesus, and how to meet him today and spend eternity with Him. If Noel was here today, the first thing he would say to you is, “Don’t miss heaven.”

Noel’s family is compiling a Noel Daniels Legacy written by all of you. You are his legacy. Please reflect upon Noel’s impact on your life, who you are, your decisions, and how you live. Write it down and bring it to Noel’s Memorial on February 25 at Bethel Christian Center or mail it to:

Teresa Daniels

Bethel Christian Center

4665 N. First Street

Fresno, CA 93726

Accommodations:

Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott Fresno Yosemite International

1535 N. Peach Ave, Fresno CA 93727

559.825.5200

Best Western PLUS Fresno Airport Hotel

1551 N. Peach Ave, Fresno CA 93727

866.493.8481