Electrical engineer, businessman.
Born at Brandon on 1 November 1911, son of Richard Noonan and Clara Mellor (1886-1959), he attended the University of Manitoba and graduated with a degree in Electrical Engineering in 1934. He founded the Pioneer Electric Company that manufactured transformers used in the electrification of farms across the Canadian prairies. He was Chairman and General Manager of the firm from 1946 to 1965. In the latter year, he moved to Toronto, Ontario as Chairman of FPE-Pioneer Electric Limited (Canada), serving in the position until 1970 when he moved to Newark, New Jersey as Vice-President of FPE (Power Division). This position took him to Europe in joint venture programs in England, Scotland, Italy, Germany, and France. He retired to homes in Toronto and Florida in 1980.
He and wife Barbara Ann Noonan (?-?) had two daughters. He was a member of the Manitoba Yacht Club (Commodore, 1958), Soaring Association of Canada, and Winnipeg Flying Club. He was active in the Canadian Manufacturers Association and Canadian Electrical Manufacturers Association, was the first Chairman of the Manitoba Industrial Design Institute, and served on the Board of Governors for the University of Manitoba. In recognition of his community service, he was inducted into the Manitoba Order of the Buffalo Hunt (1965).
He died at Sun City Centre, Florida on 12 February 1994 and was buried in the Brandon Cemetery.
Birth registration, Manitoba Vital Statistics.
Obituary, Winnipeg Free Press, 16 February 1994, page 30.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 13 February 2023
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