On September 4, 1925, Frances Ruth Martin was born so fragile she had to be rested on a pillow, so tiny she could wear a teacup as a hat. Little did they know that Frances would not only survive, but thrive for almost 97 years. Frances grew up in Antlers Oklahoma where she met Luther (Doyl) Noland when she was just a kid. She rode her horse to school every day and Doyl carried a shotgun as he walked. Often, he would ask her for a ride but she refused until he left his gun at home. In 1941 Doyl borrowed $15 from his brother, Russell to marry Frances. Although Russell told him it was a mistake, Doyl knew that sweet, sassy girl was his future. Even in the late days of deep dementia, he told that story, ending it with, “it was the best decision I ever made.”
The Nolands were married on December 5th, 1941. The couple then moved to California and worked picking fruit in the central valley until the birth of their first child, Nellie Frances, in September of 1942 and Rubena Doyleen was born in August 1947. The couple settled in Grass Valley, California. Frances opened Ruth’s Café, right next to Doyl’s Sunset Service on the old Rough and Ready Highway and they worked side by side. The Noland’s purchased a home at the top of Washington Hill in 1958, where they welcomed two sons-in-law, Donald Polglase, and Gary Glissman, four grandchildren; Deanna, Craig, Timothy and Christina, Great-Grandchildren; Noland, Megan, Emily, Alisha, Nicholas, Timothy, Chelsea, Amanda and Leah, Great-Great-Grandchildren; Jacob, Kelsey, Jackson, Eleanor and Aurora. They will forever be known as Mamo and Papo, even to those not blood-kin to them.
As their grandchild, the sweetest example of love I can recall is being a witness to my Papo taking my Mamo’s hand to dance with her while she was busy in the kitchen. Although she’d swat him away with a towel, he always got his dance.
Mamo is known for her generous, stubborn, resilient “do it all” spirit. She lived faithfully for her family whom she loved fiercely and deliberately. There was not a washing machine or a broken heart she couldn’t fix with her dedication. She was a force to be reckoned with even in her final days.
On August 22, 2022, tended lovingly by family and staff at Golden Empire, Hank Williams sang the final chorus of, “I can’t help it if I’m still in love with you,” as our beloved Matriarch, took the hand of her sweetheart, Doyl and he danced her into their next adventure. Their love story continues… and we are blessed with amazing memories and the gift of an internal compass with a “true north” always points us to live a great big beautiful life full of joy.