Family and Friends Celebrate the Life of a Woman Who Loved So Deeply

Positive Stories

Audio By Carbonatix

By Heather Riggleman, Crosswalk.com

Family and friends celebrate the life of a woman who loved so deeply. Some people collect things—stamps, teacups, trinkets. But Gayle Noble collected hearts. She wasn’t famous. She didn’t walk red carpets or fill arenas. But she filled something far holier—people’s lives—with her relentless, almost aggressive kindness.

Her daughter, Nisse Noble, said it best: “She will not take no for an answer. She’s going to give you more than you asked for. And it’s gonna be her way. This is what I mean by the aggressive kindness. Like she just can’t help it, she just wants to give.”

Gayle Noble Always Made Her Rounds

And give she did. For years, nearly every week, Gayle made her rounds in Oceanside, California—Trader Joe’s, the post office, UPS—delivering homemade muffins, cookies, and love disguised as baked goods.

UPS worker Bryce Phenicie remembered her well. “She’d tell us, ‘You have such a hard job. I know what you’re going through, I’ve done it before—and here’s some muffins to get you through the day.’”

That’s the kind of woman Gayle was, persistent love wrapped in flour and sugar, armed with Tupperware and a tender heart.

Her Daughter Threw Her a Birthday Celebration

When Gayle passed away in June, her daughter couldn’t bear to let her mother’s story end with mourning. So instead of a funeral, Nisse threw a birthday celebration. Bacon and sweet treats lined the tables—because that’s what her mama would have wanted. Poster boards were filled with photos of Gayle as a little girl, a wife, a mother, a scientist, a woman whose heart seemed too big for this world.

One woman even carried a laptop through the room, live-streaming the party for friends joining from Dubai, Australia, and India. It was as if the whole world had gathered around one woman’s table to say thank you.

And truly, Gayle’s kindness had stretched that far.

She Still Brought Treats, Even Towards the End

“Through learning how to love her, through learning who she is and just accepting her for who she is,” Nisse said, “so many people have been able to do the same. Not only do I feel a huge sense of peace and growth, but there are hundreds of thousands of people across the world that are feeling that too.”

Even in her final days, during one of her last hospital visits, she brought treats for the nurses—her way of saying, “I see you. You matter.”

In a world that often rushes and forgets, Gayle’s life whispered something sacred:

Love is never wasted.

Kindness is never too small.

And sometimes, heaven looks a lot like a woman carrying muffins into a UPS store.

“As she disappeared more,” Nisse said of her mother’s battle with Alzheimer’s, “in some ways, I felt like I got to see her soul more. I got to see her heart.”

Maybe that’s what the purest love does—it gives until there’s nothing left to hide.

Hebrews 13:16 “And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.”

WATCH: Family and Friends Celebrate the Life of a Woman Who Loved So Deeply

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h/t: CBS NEWS

Featured Image Credit: YouTube/CBS Mornings

Heather Riggleman is a believer, wife, mom, author, social media consultant, and full-time writer. She lives in Minden, Nebraska with her kids, high school sweetheart, and three cats who are her entourage around the homestead. She is a former award-winning journalist with over 2,000 articles published. She is full of grace and grit, raw honesty, and truly believes tacos can solve just about any situation. You can find her on GodUpdates, iBelieve, Crosswalk, Hello Darling, Focus On The Family, and in Brio Magazine. Connect with her at www.HeatherRiggleman.com or on Facebook.