Leanne Blinzler Noe

1933 - 2025

Leanne Blinzler Noe
06/18/1933 - 12/09/2025
A Life of Faith, Fortitude, and Grace.
Leanne Blinzler Noe of Walnut Creek, California, passed away peacefully on December 9, 2025, at the age of 92.
When once asked how she survived a dramatic childhood that included imprisonment in a Japanese internment camp, Leanne's answer was characteristically simple: "I didn't think my life was much different from anyone else's." That quiet resolve-rooted in independence, resilience, understated grit, and deep Catholic faith-defined her long and remarkable life.
Born in San Francisco in 1933 to Katherine "Kay" and Lee Blinzler, Leanne spent her earliest years in the forests of Northern California, where her father worked at the Dewey Mine. When the mine closed in 1936, Lee relocated the family-now including younger sister Ginny-to the Philippines. Tragedy struck when Kay died of tuberculosis within six months, and Leanne and Ginny were placed in the care of nuns at Holy Ghost Convent in Manila and later Baguio.
At the time, few imagined the Philippines would become a battlefield, but just eight hours after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Japanese forces invaded. Lee was interned at Santo Tomas Internment Camp, while the girls initially remained at the convent. In 1944, as the war intensified, Leanne and Ginny were themselves confined behind prison walls. More than a year later, they witnessed the extraordinary liberation of their camp by Gen. Douglas MacArthur's forces-only to be injured days later during renewed fighting in the Battle of Manila; Leanne suffered a shrapnel wound to her jaw. These experiences would later be chronicled in her memoir, MacArthur Came Back.
After the war, the sisters returned to the United States to live with family, then briefly went back to the Philippines before Lee ultimately sent them stateside for schooling. They attended Georgetown Visitation in Washington, D.C., and Leanne went on to Northwestern University. After graduating, she worked at American Hospital Supply in Evanston before moving to San Francisco to teach middle-grade students at Sir Thomas More School.
That's when she met Jim Noe, a U.S. Naval officer based in Alameda, at the Pierce Street Annex. He proposed during a driving lesson along the 17-Mile Drive, later saying he was drawn to her faith and athleticism. They were married in 1963 at Our Lady of New York at St. Patrick's Cathedral-made possible by her guardians, Aunt Rosemary and Uncle Joe Hannan.
Married for 62 years, Jim and Leanne raised three daughters in Piedmont before moving "through the tunnel" to San Ramon, Alamo, and finally, Byron Park in Walnut Creek. She described herself as a "homemaker," though her life encompassed far more. She earned a master's degree in education from JFK University, taught English at St. Augustine Catholic School in Oakland and School of the Madeleine in Berkeley, and provided literacy instruction to older adults with Huntington Learning Center.
Deeply rooted in faith, her spirituality was unassuming but constant, shaped by prayer, service, and a lifelong devotion to the Virgin Mary. She enjoyed many events, including camping, with CFM and CFO families, attended prayer groups with dear friends, and worshipped at St. Joan of Arc. She also served as a spiritual director at San Damiano Retreat Center in Danville.
She loved to travel-among her and Jim's favorite journeys were South Africa, the Volga River, and the Seine River through Normandy. She took up golf to spend time with Jim, then surprised everyone by becoming an excellent player in her own right; she and Jim often played at Round Hill. She tended her roses; made frequent trips to Carmel and other seaside towns, drawn by her lifelong love of the ocean; and prepared countless tuna sandwiches for her six grandchildren.
Leanne was preceded in death by her parents and her sister. She is survived by her beloved husband, James Anthony Noe; daughters Barbara Noe Kennedy (David); Katherine Noe Anderson (Skip); and Suzy Noe Kisylia (Jeff); and grandchildren Justin, Tommy, Kaylee, Janie, Charlie, and William. She also will be deeply missed by a close-knit circle of extended family and friends.
The celebration of life will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, January 16, 2026, at St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church, San Ramon, CA; a repast will follow at the church, with final commitment at 2:30 p.m. at Queen of Heaven Catholic Cemetery in Lafayette. Memorial donations may be made to the St. Vincent de Paul Society of Contra Costa County: www.svdp-cc.org.