Pittsfield firefighter, 32, dies from injuries received in crash

PITTSFIELD – Todd Noble, 32, firefighter, businessman, father and friend, died Friday of complications from head injuries he received in a New Year’s Day car accident on Interstate 95 in Palmyra.

Christinalyn Cote, a close friend of Noble’s, said she, Noble’s mother, Anna Good of Pittsfield, and his sister, Michelle Baker of Madison, were with Noble when his respirator was removed Friday afternoon.

“He has provided the gift of life and donated his organs, which will benefit up to five people in the New England area, as he was a healthy strong man, who never drank or smoked,” said Cote. “His life touched so many, and he will certainly be known for his giving heart, especially now with his final act of life to others. He will be sadly missed.”

Noble was a 16-year veteran of the Pittsfield Fire Department, having joined the junior firefighters as a teen, and was a lieutenant. He was also a member of the Canaan Fire Department. He owned and operated Four Seasons Waste Removal Co. and was the contractor for recycling pickup for the town of Pittsfield.

He is survived by two daughters, Brittany Lynn Noble of Pittsfield and Morgan Elizabeth Mitchell of Hartland.

Baker said Thursday that her brother had dedicated his entire life to protecting and serving his fellow citizens. “That’s how the accident happened,” she said.

Noble was bringing a friend home at 2 a.m. from a Newport bar. “Todd was giving this guy a ride home so he wouldn’t drive drunk. That’s the kind of guy Todd is. [As a firefighter] he saved so many people. He really is a hero,” Baker said.

Fellow firefighters are struggling since they were the ones – including his brother, Scott Noble – who responded to the accident. This week, they recalled Noble’s sense of humor. “He was the first one at a fire to ask when we’d be getting coffee and doughnuts,” said Capt. Michael Havey.

Others recalled Noble and his younger brother, Scott, as impish children growing up in Detroit, often disturbing Sunday school classes with pranks and jokes.

Noble was a 1991 graduate of Maine Central Institute and was a Shriner and a Mason.

Since the accident, Noble’s family had struggled with the decision about Noble’s condition.

Baker obtained emergency guardianship over her brother’s medical decisions two days after the accident. But Wednesday, she signed that control back over to her mother, Anna Good, after a mediator was appointed.

“We weren’t fighting over Todd,” Baker said Thursday. “I just wanted him to have a little more time. I just felt everyone had been moving too fast. I believe in miracles.”

She continued, “Some people are ‘the glass is half-empty’ type people. I’m of ‘the glass is half-full’ type.”

By Wednesday afternoon, Baker said she realized that she had waited long enough. “This was not what Todd would have wanted,” she said. Noble had spiked a high fever and was battling a lung infection.

Visiting hours for Noble will be held from 6 to 8 tonight, at the Donald Shorey Funeral Chapel on Hartland Avenue in Pittsfield. Visitation will take place from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 8, when a service will be held.

A fund for Noble’s two young daughters and to help offset medical expenses has been established at the Pittsfield branch of the Merrill Merchant’s Bank.

Cote said that one of Noble’s daughters attends St. Agnes Parochial School in Pittsfield. “That was very, very important to him,” said Cote. She is hoping that the Catholic community will support the child’s tuition so she can remain at the school.

Donations may be sent to the Todd Noble and Family Fund, c/o MMB, 27 Main St., Pittsfield 04967.