Walter Noll

Walter Noll

Age 92, of O’Hara Township, passed away peacefully at his home on Tuesday, June 6, 2017, surrounded by family. He was the beloved husband of Marilyn Smith Noll. He was Professor Emeritus of Mathematics at Carnegie Mellon University, and was known internationally for his groundbreaking work in his field. He was born in Berlin, Germany on January 7, 1925, the son of Franz and Martha Noll. He studied at the Technical University of Berlin, Humboldt University, and the University of Paris, later earning his Ph.D. in applied mathematics in 1954 at the University of Indiana in Bloomington. Professor Noll immigrated to the United States in 1955 and taught at the University of Southern California before joining Carnegie Mellon, then the Carnegie Institute of Technology, in 1956. He retired in 1993. He served as a visiting professor for a month or more at Johns Hopkins University, the University of Karlsruhe, the Israel Institute of Technology, the École Polytechnique in Nancy, the University of Pisa, the University of Pavia, and Oxford University. His work was particularly influential in Italy, where he lectured frequently. Professor Noll was a longtime resident of O’Hara. In addition to his academic pursuits, he enjoyed traveling, having visited every continent over the years. He went snorkeling with his wife at the Great Barrier Reef in Australia in 2009. He was a lover of classical music and opera, enjoyed tending to his garden, and had a keen interest in history. He is survived by wife, Marilyn Smith Noll, to whom he was married on December 30, 2000, and was preceded in death by wife, Helga I. (Schoenberg) Noll, to whom he was married in April 1, 1955, and who passed away in January of 1976, and wife, Mary Strauss-Noll, to whom he was married on January 4, 1979 and who passed away November 23, 1999. He is survived by his and Helga’s two children, Virginia Cassidy and Peter Noll, of Bluffton, SC; three grandchildren, Kevin and Peter Cassidy and Michelle Noll; three stepchildren, Elizabeth Foster, of Denver and David Hall and Jonathan Hall, of Knoxville, MD; seven stepgrandchildren, Rob Foster, Rebecca Foster, Leanne Gaines, Jered Foster, Alicia Hall, Christopher Hall,   and James Hall; and nine stepgreat-grandchildren.  A Memorial Service will be held Wednesday, June 21, 2017 at 12 noon at the Hunt Botanical Library at Carnegie Mellon University, 4909 Frew St. 5th floor, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, with a reception to follow. In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory may be made to the Carnegie Mellon University Department of Mathematical Sciences, Wean Hall 6113, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, to CARE, or to USA for UNHCR (UN Refugee Agency). 

 Service Information