John B Noriega

September 18, 1929 - May 19, 2012 John B Noriega September 18th, 1929 - May 19th, 2012 John B Noriega of Arvada, Colorado died Saturday, May 19th, 2012 at the Collier Hospice Center. John was born in Aguilar, Colorado on September 18th, 1929. John had one older brother and four sisters. He served in the Army, guarding various embassies in Korea. He refused many benefits for veterans, stating that his enlistment ended “before the real shooting started”. He went to college on a track and field scholarship, excelling in the discus and javelin. He received his Masters degree in Education from the University of Denver. John's sense of community and conscience would be very apparent throughout his life. He dedicated his life to family, to teaching and to working on the causes important to education, labor and social service. In his first year of teaching, John was selected head of the negotiation team for his entire school district. He kept very active in the Colorado Education Association, holding many offices during his 30 year tenure. He was elected to go to the National Education Association convention most years as a delegate, representing Colorado and subsequently retired Colorado teachers. He won the CEA Lion Advocacy Award for a lifetime of exceptional service to teaching and teachers' rights. John was also an exceptional instructor, innovating curricula for low-income and unique student populations. John introduced his students to engineering with a bridge building competition and showed them that their ethnicities or economics could be overcome through a celebrity Latino board game. In addition to his work in education, John gave much of his time, energy and talent to other labor issues and local politics. John was very active with the Labor Initiative, attending meetings into his eighties. He was a constant assistant to the Democratic Party, especially on the local level. Known by virtually all politicians and campaigns as the “Sign Man”, he could be counted on to make campaign calls, talk people into putting up campaign signs and could be seen in the election season, pounding in signs and affixing banners, in all weather and against any political opposition. In recognition of his tireless work, he received the Democratic Party's Diversity Award and the Eleanor Roosevelt Award. However, the most impressive part of John's life was his devotion to his family and friends. He always made time and sacrificed the rewards of material ambition to guarantee that weekends and vacations were special. He took the time to mentor and give the time and attention a family needs. He would be the first to help a friend, coming to the defense and aid to anyone he knew. His accolades and accomplishments are certainly things about which to boast, but the love he gave as a husband, a father, a grandfather and a friend were truly heroic. John is survived by his wife, Esther, his sons David and Stephen, his sister Isabel and Maria and his grandchildren Zachary and Kathryn. Services will be held Saturday, June 2nd, at 2:00, at the Jefferson Unitarian Church (14350 w. 32nd Ave.) Donations to the Collier Hospice Center or the Denver chapter of the Myasthenia Gravis Foundation would be appreciated.