Jesse Glenn Noland, born July 10, 1918, Council Bluffs, Pottawattamie County, Iowa, son of Benjamin, Harrison Noland and Gennetta Florence Ford Noland. He was born at home on the McIntyre Farm, across from the "Deaf, Mute School." The family moved to the Overlook Farm, south-east of Council Bluffs. He attended the Meadow Brook School thru the second grade. In March, 1926, they moved to a farm on W. 29th. Ave. and 3rd street where they attended Lake Manawa School thru the eighth grade.

As a young boy, he worked in various places around Council Bluffs and Bedford, Iowa. Also in Linden, Missouri. At the age of 19, he moved to Denver, Colorado, March, 1937, where he lived with his aunt and uncle, Anna and Joseph (Bud) Ford. He went by his middle name, Glenn, all his younger years, until he went to the Navy, where he had to use his given name of Jesse G. Noland. He returned to Council Bluffs, in 1938.

He had four brothers and three sisters:

October 1,1938, he married Rose Marie Spahn of Denver, Colorado, in Council Bluffs. Rose returned to Denver and Jesse remained in Council Bluffs, for a short time before coming back to Denver. They had two children

1. Mildred Marie Noland
2. Glen Thomas Noland

After returning to Denver, (Jesse) Glenn was employed at the Broadway Tavern, Dolly Madison Creamery, Rocky Mountain Dairy and Merchants Biscuit Company. By this time, World War II had been declared and Jesse went to work for the Armed Service Forces, in April, 1943, at Buckley Field, which was managed by the United States Air Force, where he became a Firefighter.

December 18,1943, he joined the United States Navy. After Basic Training, at Farragutt, Idaho, he was sent to Firefighting School, at Mare Island, near Vallejo, California. After finishing his schooling, he volunteered for overseas duty. He was sent to Hawaii, from San Francisco, on a Liberty Ship. Here he transferred to a temporary assignment on the USS Current, ARS 22 (Auxiliary Repair Ship), in September, 1944. The USS Current towed a Refrigerated Cement Barge to Eniwetok Island. Then he took the same Liberty Ship he had been on from San Francisco to Hawaii, and went to Palau Island, where he was assigned to the USS Gear ARS 34. After duty on the Gear, he flew to Guam, where he was assigned to a Fire Tug, the USS Tawakoni ATF 14 (Auxiliary Tug Fleet,) where he saw action at Iwo Jima, Okinawa and Ie Shima.

He was 200 yards off shore, at Ie Shima, when War Correspondent, Ernie Pyle was killed by the Japanese, 4/18/1945, (he didn't know it at the time, but Ernie Pyle was a cousin to the woman, Emma Casso, his future wife, Emma May Stevens (Wilson) was named after.)

At the close of the war, he went to Hiroshima and Nagasaki, to observe the results of the Atom Bomb, before returning to the United States. Before his discharge from the Navy, he received the Victory Medal, the Philippine Liberation Medal, the Asiatic Pacific Medal, with two stars for the battles of Okinawa and Iwo Jima, and the American Area Medal, which gave him enough points for an Honorable Discharge, which he received at Camp Pendleton, California, December 20,1945.

Upon his return to Denver, Colorado, he was re-hired at Buckley Field, where he was employed until July, 1946, when the station was closed. He transferred to the Veteran's Administration Hospital at Ft. Logan, Colorado.

February, 1946, Jesse filed for a divorce from his wife, Rose, as she desired to marry another man. In the summer of 1946, he met Emma May Wilson, they were married 11/8/1946, at his parents home, 818 Acoma St. Denver. No children were born to this marriage. Emma had 3 children by 2 previous marriages:

1. Robert Eugene Denver, Colorado
2. Raymond Edgar Leonard Denver, Colorado
3. Mary Elizabeth Wilson Denver, Colorado

Jesse remained at the Veteran's Hospital at Ft. Logan, as a Firefighter, until September, 1951, when he transferred to the new Veteran's Hospital in East Denver, as Supervisor of the Security Section.

Jesse and Emma lived with her father, Edgar C. Stevens, as he was alone in the family home, after the death of his wife, Mary E. Stevens, until he died, July 13.1952.

In May, 1954, they purchased a new home in Southwest Denver, where they lived until May, 1968.

Jesse returned to the V. A. Installation at Ft. Logan, Nov.1954, until it closed in July, 1958, when he transferred to Lowry Air Force Base, as a Firefighter. He retired from Lowry, in June, 1970, after 27 years in Government Service. During this time he received several commendations for Faithful Federal Service.

Jesse and Emma moved to their mountain cottage in Evergreen, Colorado, May, 1968, where they remodeled it into a comfortable cottage. In June, 1970, they retired from their jobs and purchased a Janitorial Service and did Commercial and Residential services for 3 years. In 1973, they sold out the Commercial work and kept the Residential, as the business had increased tremendously. In 1980, they retired again.

On June 25, 1967, Jesse was Baptized and became a member of Harvey Park Baptist Church. On May 7,1978, he and Emma transferred their membership to Hampden Hills Baptist, where their long-time family friend, Rev. Raymond D. Raymond Parry, became Pastor. In October of 1979, a new church was planned for the Southwest area of Littleton. Jesse and Emma became Charter members on the first of March, 1981 and worked diligently until a new building was built for the Church Of The Savior in Ken Caryl. Due to the distance to drive, each Sunday, they transferred their membership to Bergen Park Community Church in October, 1987.

After several years, the Pastor there retired and the church affiliated with an Evangelical Free Church, which they didn't want to belong to, so they joined Evergreen Baptist Church, April 5, 1992.

In 1946, Jesse joined Stewart Post #I, of the Veteran's of Foreign Wars and in October, 1949, joined Berkeley Lodge, #134 of the Masons, a membership he maintained many years. After moving to Evergreen, he demitted to the Evergreen Lodge, #179. Due to lack of interest, he demitted from the Evergreen Lodge, still maintaining his membership, if he ever wished to be re-instated.

In the 1980's He joined the Benevolent Order of the Elks (B.P.O.E.) Englewood Lodge, #2122, transferring his membership to the Evergreen Lodge #2363, dropping his membership in 1985.

For several years, while sitting in their rocking chairs, on their mountain top, they kept in contact with the outside world on their Citizen's Band Radio's - C.B.'ers, "Grandpa Grunt" and "Evergreen Grandma" became well known in the C.B. Circuit, with their "Mountain Top Base". It was fun to hear from the family as they were coming around the mountain, calling for "Mountain Top Base." Maybe it was Harvey Hog Jaws and Colorado Belle, Lady Shoemaker and Ditch Digger, the Fog Nozzle, Sweet Honesty or the Louisiana Swamp Rat, sometimes it was total strangers, just wanting to pass the time of day.

When the snow was deep out there, Grandpa Grunt was calling home to see where he needed to snowplow next. By belonging to the "Mountaineers" C.B., Club in Evergreen and the "Sunrise Breakfast Club" in Colorado Springs, they could keep in touch with other C.B.'ers and attend Jamboree's thru out the area. Their "Mountain Top Base" kept in touch with other bases when ever there was an Emergency around Evergreen. Being so high on the mountain, they were able to reach long distances. Due to the response of the C.B.'s to help Evergreen School buses that were stranded on mountain roads, the school district decided to put C.B. radios in the buses. A great step towards the safety of the school children.

As Jesse and Emma wound down into retirement, they took up fishing. Something they had never taken time for before, as they were always busy remodeling their mountain cabin, to make it a comfortable cottage to retire in.

There were many family picnics or gatherings, that have left them with happy memories. With so many grandchildren and great grandchildren to keep in touch with, the time goes fast. In earlier years they took several grandchildren on trips through- out the state of Colorado, and to many interesting places in the United States, loading their necessary belongings into their Jamboree Mini Home and "Trucking on down the Highway." The fishing trips weren't always successful in a good catch - but it was the opportunity to get out and enjoy God's beautiful country.

Prepared by
Emma May Stevens Noland

Notes by Mary Miller, (step) daughter of Jesse Glenn Noland:

He was never our "step" father, but always our Dad. After Jesse’s wife, (my mother) died in 2003, Jesse tried to stay in their beautiful apartment alone, but due to mini-strokes and dizzy spells, he became afraid to stay alone, so I brought him to live with me. All my life, my dad had just “been there.” He was like the “man down the hall” and we took him for granted. After he moved in with me, I saw his wonderful personality and compassionate and caring nature. We always had respected and loved him, but I finally realized, we never really knew him.

I can honestly say, his last 7 months on this earth, were the best months he’d had in a long time. He did what he wanted, bought what he wanted and went where he wanted with our blessing. It didn’t matter that I had a yard full of bird feeders of all different sizes and types, it didn’t matter that he sent for every kitchen gadget he saw on TV, it didn’t matter that he got up in the morning and watched TV all day, if he wanted to and it didn’t matter that my kitchen was always full of boxes from some silly thing he had bought over the TV. What did matter was that he was having fun and for the first time since he had married my mom, he did what HE wanted and didn’t worry about doing for my mom or us kids. Finally I did for HIM.

We lost my dad on August 8, 2005 and things have not been the same since. He is sadly missed by every member of our family, but we know he is finally with my mom again and he is happy.

Jesse was laid to rest, next to his beloved wife Emma, on August 12, 2005 at Chapel Hill Memorial Gardens, Littleton, Colorado.