Noel James Dexter

 Noel James Dexter, 88, of Beach Meadows (and recently of the Mahone Bay Nursing Home), passed away peacefully January 29th, 2025 at South Shore Regional Hospital in Bridgewater with loving family by his side, excited to join his beloved wife of more than 57 years; Jean, who predeceased him in April 2021. 

 On Christmas Day, 1936 in Milton N.S., the Dexter family of Warren and Myrtle (née Weir) and their nine other children celebrated Noel’s birth with a hearty pot of rabbit stew … or so the story goes! Stories were so key to everything Noel was involved in during his lifetime and in his words, one should “never let the truth get in the way of a good story!” 

 Education was very important in the Dexter household and that was evident as he spent several years sailing on boats out of Liverpool, up and down the Eastern Seaboard of North America in order to save enough money to head to Acadia University. As well, many of his siblings became teachers, nurses or served their country, all as a result of their education. 

 Noel’s teaching career began in 1963 at what was Bridgewater High School. The following year, he moved to Mahone Bay Consolidated, where he and Jean would build their first home and raise their family. Within a few short years, he was approached to be Mahone Bay’s Principal. Along the way, he upgraded his teaching credentials across many summers, furthering his education in Leadership and in Guidance, and later moved to the newly opened Park View Education Centre, first as a Counselor, and later as its second Principal. 

 Noel finished his career there more than 10 years later, having been a positive influence on the lives of so many young students and school staff. His proudest accomplishment was undoubtedly being a part of the school team that brought the world-renowned International Baccalaureate program to Park View in 1981. Noel recognized the importance of teamwork among staff based on a relational approach with students and also felt that there was no reason why students in Lunenburg County couldn’t have access to a world-class education! 

 In his retirement, Noel was never idle for long, even after Jean passed away. He pursued passions like maintaining his property, visiting and supporting family with Jean, archeology, employability programs, hunting, fishing, cranberry picking with friend Stephen Freeman (among others), woodlot management and a wide range of business ventures. He remained keenly interested in the educational pursuits of family and friends and was especially proud of the accomplishments of his children and grandchildren. He was a loyal member of the Queens County Fish & Game Association. In his youth, he was heavily involved in Boy Scouts, and later on a Lions Club member and long-time supporter of the Baptist Church in Milton. All of these things meant Noel was never short of new fodder for yet another good story! 

 Noel is survived by son James (Christa) and daughter Jacqueline (Keith Hamilton). He was always “Big Grampy” to Ella, Hayden and Layton. He leaves behind sisters Joyce Denno (Vancouver) and Joan Deeks (Milton) along with several nieces and nephews and their families. A strong testament to the importance of his relationships with students, he developed a special bond with Johnny Nauss who shared his love of hunting and fishing. 

 He was predeceased by his aforementioned wife Muriel Jean (née Crouse), his parents; Warren and Myrtle, brothers Harvey, Paul, William and Warren, as well as sisters Doris, Barbara and Madeline. Noel loved his family and was always there in moments of need. 

 Cremation has taken place under the direction of Chandlers’ Funeral Home, Liverpool, where funeral service and brief reception will take place on Saturday, February 8th at 1:00 pm, with a private family interment in the Milton Cemetery. Reverend Judy Cross officiating. Donations may be made to any local hospital foundation, charity or school of your choice in his honour. Online condolences may be made below.

 The family are indebted to the extraordinary caregivers and Home Support staff whose dedication allowed Noel to stay in his home up until late December. They would also like to thank Dr. Salomon along with the other doctors, nursing and support staff at South Shore Regional and Fisherman’s Memorial for doing all they could to make Noel’s last days as comfortable as possible. Finally, they would also like to acknowledge the excellent ongoing medical care he received recently from the local VON and EHS, along with Dr. Akinwande, Dr. Lovett and the staff at the Family Health and Diabetic Clinics at Queens General Hospital.