Gary Noble

On June 8, 1939 in Rainy River, Ontario, Canada, Gary Clifford Noble was born the eldest of four children of Clifford and Margaret Noble of Baudette, Minnesota. Gary is survived by two brothers, Terrance (Terry) and Charles (Butch), and a sister, Susie (Parkinen). Gary was born in Canada for two primary reasons. In 1939, Baudette had no medical facilities and Rainy River had the closest hospital. Secondly, Gary's mother, Margaret (Desorcy) Noble was also raised in Rainy River prior to her marriage to Clifford in Baudette. As the result of Gary's birth in Canada and life in the USA, he had dual citizenship. 

 From 1944 to 1957, Gary attended school in Lake of the Woods (LOW) in Baudette and was active in football and hockey. In his senior year at LOW, Gary was the only hockey player from his class. The photo provided is Gary's high school graduation picture. Gary maintained lifelong friendships with several high school classmates and childhood friends in Baudette, Minnesota and Rainy River, Ontario to this day.

 After high school, Gary attended St. John's University and the University of Minnesota and worked Control Data. While it the Twin Cities, Gary was wed Darlene (Hughes) Noble and had two sons, Stuart in 1962 and Peter in 1965.

 In 1968, Gary moved his family to Baudette and purchased Ory’s Resort which was renamed Border View Lodge. Gary and his family operated Border View Lodge for approximately 12 years until 1980. During these 12 years, Border View Lodge was operated as a fishing camp from May to October. At that time, winter ice fishing was not as popular and profitable as it is today. In the offseason, Gary built houses in Lake of the Woods County during the winter months. Also during this period, Gary purchased a resort on the Canadian side of Lake of the Woods known as "the Marino" that operated in unison with Border View Lodge for several years. During his life, Gary often talked about his years at Border View Lodge with great fondness and the lifelong friendships that resulted with neighboring resort owners and employees. As anyone from "the Lake" knows, operating a resort leaves little time for other activities. Regardless, Gary became an avid curler in Rainy River during the winter months.

 In 1981, Gary constructed the Walleye Inn in Baudette which operated until 2013. After it's construction, Gary moved to Marathon Key, Florida, purchased a sailboat, and spent the next several years sailing around the Caribbean. During these years, Gary frequently returned to Baudette and regaled his friends and family with his many exploits and adventures that included being marooned in Cuba, attending a Reggae festival in Jamaica, and many others.

 In 1997, Gary traveled to Playa del Carmen, Mexico and fell in love with "Old Mexico." Gary found a secluded stretch of beach near the coastal town of Mahahual, and oversaw the construction of several beach front cottages as part of a dive resort. For the next several years, Gary returned to Mexico during the winter months to get away from the harshness of Minnesota winter, but always maintained his home in Baudette.

 From 1999 to present, Gary continued to live and build homes in Lake of the Woods county before finally settling into his current home near the Oak Harbor Golf Course and Ship's Wheel Resort on the Rainy River. At approximately 10:20 PM on Tuesday, February 4, 2020, Gary passed away in his home, as was his last wish, surrounded by family. Gary is survived by two sons, Stuart and Peter, and two grandsons, Brent and Christian. Gary was preceded in death by his parents, Clifford and Margaret, a grandson, Kyle, and a niece Jennifer.

 The Noble family invites family and friends to attend a celebration of Gary's life at the Helgeson Funeral Chapel in Baudette, Minnesota on Saturday, February 15, 2020 from 11AM to 2PM. Following the celebration, family and friends are also invited afterwards to an informal gathering at the Moose Lodge in Baudette from 2PM to 5PM. The Noble family would like to formally thank the hard work of the local hospice program for their due diligence and dedication during this difficult time. Finally, the Noble family would like to thank the Baudette, Rainy River, and Lake of the Woods area for making this a place to call home.

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