Noel Edward Firth
March 28, 1933 ~ June 26, 2024
Born in:
Hartford, Connecticut
Resided in:
Vienna, Virginia
On June 26, 2024, Noel Edward Firth passed away peacefully at his home in Vienna, Virginia.
Kind, quick witted and extremely sociable, Noel was a good friend to many. Born in Hartford,
Connecticut, on March 28, 1933 to George and Maude Firth, Noel was the youngest of five
boys. His mother died when Noel was very young. Times were tough but Noel excelled. Noel
was married on February 28, 1953 to Joan Wiedemann. He then went into the U.S. Army, serving
first with the military police and then later becoming the Company Clerk. Afterwards, Noel
attended and graduated from Yale University. Noel then started working for the CIA and enjoyed
a long, distinguished and fulfilling career. Early on, the Agency sent him to Harvard University
where he completed his Masters Degree in Public Administration; years later the Agency sent
him to the National War College for one year. Noel held multiple positions at the CIA including,
Project Officer for an ADP system; Chief of the Cost Analysis Branch, Programs Analysis Division,
Office of Strategic Research (OSR); Chief of the Programs Analysis Division, OSR, and Deputy
Director of the OSR.
Noel loved his work. From February of 1976 to November of 1976 Noel held the position of
Acting Director of the OSR. From January 1977 – 1980, Noel served as the Director of the Office
of Imagery Analysis. In 1980 Noel returned to work as a senior member of the National Foreign
Assessments Center, working on Intelligence Community issues. Noel, together with Jim Noren,
co -authored the book, “Soviet Defense Spending”. In 1987, Noel started as Officer in Residence
at Georgetown University and found his time there teaching economics extremely rewarding.
In his retirement, Noel found a new passion to share with his family: Dog Agility. Noel and his
wife Joan loved animals. Over the years they shared their lives with many wonderful dogs and
cats. When they discovered Pawzazz Agility, it opened a world of excitement for them and their
beloved Shelties. Noel became an adept dog handler and together with Joan and the dogs,
traveled far and wide to attend agility competitions. It was pure joy! Noel also enjoyed
gardening, reading, and conversing with friends and neighbors.
Noel is survived by his beloved wife Joan, their loving dog LuLu, as well as several nieces and a
nephew. He was a brilliant, loving and remarkable man and will always live on in our hearts.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Morris Animal Foundation (morrisanimalfoundation.org) or to Best Friends Animal Society (bestfriends.org).
A Celebration of Life will be held at Money and King Funeral Home on Wednesday, July 10th, from 5:00 pm -7:00 pm, 171 W. Maple Ave, Vienna, Virginia.
Services
Memorial Visitation: July 10, 2024 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Money and King Funeral Home
171 W. Maple Ave.
Vienna, VA 22180
703-938-7440
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NoelEdwardFirthMemorial Visitation
Memorial Visitation
171 W. Maple Ave. ,Vienna, VA 22180
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Charities
The family greatly appreciates donations made to these charities in Noel Edward Firth 's name.
Best Friends Animal Society
Morris Animal Foundation
Memories Timeline
Guestbook
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Noel was a thoughtful and kind supervisor and manager of our work.
Noel was one of the really good guys at CIA – smart, thoughtful, caring. I was first interviewed for a job at CIA by Noel; he had no open slots but recommended me for employment I had a long career at CIA; it started wIth the meeting with Noel. It was several years later when I was fortunate to work for him.
Mr. Firth, as we always called him, was such a delightful man. So kind and generous, I don’t think I ever saw him without a smile to share. Mr. Firth is a model for how to be a generally gracious person. We’ll miss him.
Noel was my branch chief at the CIA during the 1966-1970 period. He was a great guy and an excellent supervisor. When I told him I was leaving to go to law school, he said, “Rick, lawyers are a dime a dozen.” Noel wasn’t belittling lawyers, but just emphasizing the importance of the work being done by the CIA. I saw him at an OSR reunion years later, and he was the same, smart, thoughtful guy.
We had the privilege of knowing Mr. Firth and his wonderful Sheltie dogs. His gentle and devoted care of his dogs was inspirational. It was always a pleasure to have Mr. and Mrs. Firth visit with their dogs. His wise grin will be missed.
Adams Mill Veterinary Hospital
Noel was a family friend for decades and a wonderful, kind, intelligent, and gracious man. When I was a child, he once drove our family to the airport, which turned out to be my first time riding in a convertible, a Cadillac convertible with fins! I was thrilled. My sister and I asked him if he had a phone in his shoe like the agent on TV in the 70’s show “Get Smart.” As an adult, I’ve had the pleasure of many long talks with Noel when I met him in the neighborhood while we were walking our dogs. We spoke of many things, and he shared with me that he had loved his years teaching. I can only imagine how much his lucky students loved him back. He was truly a special man who made a positive impact on those who knew him and he will be missed. My sincere condolences to Joan and his family.
Noel was a man who loved his work and the people who worked with him. His professionalism was a wonderful model for young analysts like myself as we began our careers. As I discovered in later years, he never lost his deep sense of the importance of the work we were engaged in, and he always cherished the colleagues he shared his career with. His wife and family have my condolences in the loss of this fine man.