Noel Ann Stanton died at home in San Rafael on August 22, at war with ovarian cancer but at peace with God and with the love of her family and of friends from throughout her life and throughout the country.

Ann Clare Nusbaum was born and grew up in Falls City, Nebraska, the middle of three daughters of Leo and Evelyn Nusbaum. Her father was the owner, publisher and editor of the Falls City Journal, the daily newspaper of Richardson County; her mother was a social worker and teacher. Ann graduated from Sacred Heart High School and attended Clarke College in Dubuque, Iowa for two years before entering the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth, Kansas and completing her bachelor’s degree at Saint Mary College in Leavenworth. As a Sister of Charity, Ann took the name Noel, though she remained “Ann” to her family and those who knew her while growing up. Sister Noel taught English Literature at Catholic high schools in Kansas City, MO, Butte, MT and Leavenworth, KS. Her years in Butte were some of the most formative years of her life; she and her students there made mutual lasting impressions.

While studying for her Masters in Theology at the University of San Francisco in the summer of 1974, Sister Noel met Clark Stanton, a new law school graduate who was studying for the California Bar. When she sent him a bird’s nest for his birthday that September, he knew he had met the love of his life. Released from her vows but keeping her name as a sister, Noel and Clark were married in Berkeley in December 1979. During their married life, Noel and Clark lived in Berkeley, CA, Lincoln, NE, and Pasadena, CA before moving to San Rafael in 1993. Noel continued to teach English and religious studies in high schools, including Marin Catholic and, from 1993 until her cancer forced her retirement in 2012, at Salesian High in Richmond. After moving to San Rafael, Noel returned to another of her passions, tennis, which she played as often as she could.

Noel and Clark are blessed with two sons, Luke Stanton of Los Angeles and John Stanton of Tokyo, Japan. Noel is also survived by her two sisters, Ellen Peterson of Mill Valley and Sarah Bradley of Denver. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at Saint Vincent’s Church in San Rafael by Bishop Tom Daly at 11:00 am on Wednesday, August 27, 2014, with a reception to follow outside the church. Internment will be private. The family asks that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to Salesian High School, http://www.salesian.com/support-shs/index.aspx, or to a charity of your choice.