Born July 20, 1953 in Ogden, UT to Frank R. Noel and Allison Louise Marshell Noel. He is survived by his sister, Susan Laurita (Larry), half-brother Carl Noel (Patty) nieces Andrea Laurita and Amanda Hall and their families. Raised by his mom and aunt, Brady spent his childhood in Mesilla Park, NM, in a house full of cousins. He loved reading and often had his nose in a book. He graduated from Las Cruces High School in 1971 and was inducted into the Who’s Who of High School Students, with an I.Q. higher than Einstein’s. He attended Pepperdine University in California with the thought of becoming a brain surgeon.
In the early 1980s, Brady moved to Ballard, in Seattle, WA. There he invested himself as an advocate and talented writer for gay print, under the pseudonyms Kevin Wilder and Leon Darby. He worked for the Chicken Soup Brigade and offered care for people living with AIDS. Brady put down roots in the PNW and grew a flower garden, took his young niece on public transit to shield her from a life of close-mindedness, wrote poetry, and enjoyed the company of true friends.
Brady worked as a chef in a high-end restaurant but found purpose as a cook for PTS (Perinatal Treatment Services), a home setting for women learning life-skills alongside their young children. He also worked at the Mission, a rehab center. Brady took a leadership role, and the job moved him to Los Angeles around 2005. He moved back to Seattle and eventually moved into the Humphrey House community in 2015, where he has lived and enjoyed true friendships and the companionship of his dog, Chleo ever since.
Brady died in his sleep, with Chleo at his side, September 22, 2025.
“Do you know what Brady Don Noel means?” he has been known to ask. “It means the broad lord of Christmas. That means I’m Santa Claus!” He answered his own question, with the corners of his mouth turned upward and that Santa-like glint of tender mischief in his eyes.
