Obituary of Roger Joseph Nolette

Roger Joseph Nolette, 84, of Hampstead, North Carolina, and formerly of Rouses Point, New York, passed away Friday evening May 11, 2012. Roger was born on April 25, 1928, in Plattsburgh, New York, the second child of Alexander Joseph Nolette and Mary Alice (Gebo) Nolette. He joined the Navy in 1946, completing Aerology School in 1947 before serving as a Weather Observer for Air Transport Squadron 44 out of N.A.S. Moffett Field, California. He received the Victory Medal for WWII and the Good Conduct Medal prior to an honorable discharge in 1951. In 1952, Roger re-enlisted, this time in the Air Force, where he was stationed on the USS Manchester in Guam and served in Fleet Weather Central prior to his honorable discharge in 1954. In late October 1953, he met the love of his life, Jennie Lee Metzger, at a GSO (Girls' Service Organization) military dance in Rantoul, Illinois. They married that December at the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church at Mattoon, Illinois, and then strode down the aisle to "Off We Go, Into the Wild Blue Yonder." After the service, Roger enrolled in Eastern Illinois University, graduating in 1958. Following graduation, he joined the Harris Corporation in Champlain, New York (then Sheridan Intertype) where he received numerous promotions until retiring in 1988 as Personnel Manager. Roger and Jennie traveled for many years, visiting each state in "the lower 48" as well as parts of Canada, in their bright red Chevrolet Suburban. In 1995, Roger and Jennie relocated to Hampstead, North Carolina. Roger was a registered Abenaki from the Odanak Indian Reservation in Quebec and a member of the BPOE, the Knights of Columbus, the American Legion, and several Veterans organizations, including, most recently, the Wounded Warrior Project. He was an avid reader and stamp collector, and his hobbies also included golf, puzzles, and bragging about his wife's cooking. Despite an incident in his youth involving the sacramental wine and the ringing of the bell at St. Patrick's Church in Rouses Point, he served many years as an altar boy, and was an active member of the St. Patrick's congregation and St. Jude's Catholic Church in Hampstead. Roger was a proud veteran of the Korean War and had many stories of his wartime exploits, including the time he was passed over churning seas via a rope secured between two ships and the time he lashed himself to the upper deck during a storm, so that he could be assured of not being swept overboard while still avoiding his seasick shipmates below deck. He is survived by his wife of 58 years Jennie Lee and their four children Rebecca Jean Aksdal and her husband Harald of Fairfax, Vermont, Susan Marie Benware and her husband Timothy of Creedmoor, North Carolina, Joseph Roger Nolette and his wife Lisa, of Green Bay, Wisconsin, and Robert David Nolette and his wife Kalomira of Rouses Point, New York. He also leaves a sister, Mary Beth Clark and her husband Cass, of Plattsburgh, New York, a sister-in-law Alberta Nolette, seven grandchildren, two great-grandchildren, and nieces and nephews. Visitation will be from 5:00 to 7:00 pm on Wednesday May 16th and from 11:00 am to 12:00pm on Thursday, May 17th at M.B. Clark Funeral Home, 148 Lake St., Rouses Point, NY A Prayer Service will follow the calling hour at 12:00 noon on Thursday at the funeral home with Rev. Clyde A. Lewis, officiating. Interment will follow at St. Patrick's Cemetery in Rouses Point with military honors. A lunch reception at the American Legion in Rouses Point will follow the burial. Arrangements are with Andrews Mortuary in Hampstead, NC and with M.B. Clark Funeral Home in Rouses Point, NY. Condolences may be left at obits@andrewsmortuary.com. Roger was a generous supporter of The Wounded Warrior Project, and in lieu of flowers the family suggests donations in his memory to that organization at 4899 Belfort Road, Suite 300, Jacksonville, Florida 32256.