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An accomplished engineer and entrepreneur, he had dozens of patents in the orthopaedics arena – most notably what became the DePuy artificial knee. He also loved aviation.
Born in Nova Scotia, he and his family immigrated to the United States when he was just 1. Always grateful for the opportunities in America, he became a proud U.S. Marine and served in the Pacific Theater during World War II. He met his wife, Edna, a nurse at the Bethesda Naval Hospital when he was sent home with an injury.
After selling Joint Medical Systems, the company he co-founded with Anthony Whittingham, he turned his full attention to philanthropic endeavors around the education of young children, specifically in math and sciences. He and his wife were supporters of scholarships through CEO Foundation, founders of the Elon Academy, The K-12 program at WPI and the Truitt Center for Religious and Spiritual Life.
He is survived by his wife of 70 years, Edna; their four children, Daniel Noiles (Sheila), Alison Noiles (Laurence Gardner), Jonathan Noiles (Betsy) and Esther Noiles; and 12 grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
He will be laid to rest in a private ceremony.
In lieu of flowers, gifts in his memory may be sent to The United Methodist Church of New Canaan Special Programing Fund, 165 South Ave., New Canaan CT 06840; or WPI, Attn: Gift Recording, 100 Institute Road, Worcester, MA 01609. Please note that the memorial gift should be directed to the "Edna T. and Douglas G. Noiles '44 Endowment for K-12 Outreach."
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