The Noonans: High School Sweethearts with 4 Lovable Kids

Resident Feature by Liz Burnett

Photos by Sierra Clark Photography www.SierraClarkPhoto.com

We’re delighted to have you meet Broomall neighbors Mike and Heather Noonan and their four children. This family of six knows just what it takes to use the lemons life gives you to make WAY more than lemonade, perhaps even champagne!

Mike and Heather both grew up in Broomall. Mike attended Cardinal O’Hara High School, and Heather attended the Academy of Notre Dame. They met the summer before Junior year, when they both worked at Bachetti Brothers Meat Market and Deli (next to Jacquette’s Bakery). Heather invited Mike to her Junior Prom, and then to her Senior Prom. By the time they both graduated from high school in 1991, Cupid’s arrow had hit its mark: They dated all through college.

Heather and Mike Noonan

Photo courtesy of Sierra Clark Photography www.SierraClarkPhoto.com

Mike attended Widener University, to pursue a Civil Engineering degree. His Engineering Co-Op program extended his time there; he graduated in 1997. Meanwhile, Heather attended Villanova University. She started working toward a degree in Pre-Med, but switched her major to Spanish Language & Literature with a minor in Psychology & Sociology, and graduated in 1995.

Heather’s decision to switch her major was literally a major decision, about not only HER future but Mike’s also. And it wasn’t a career- or vocation-based decision; it was so they could both enjoy their avocation: Being parents to children they hoped to have someday. Heather’s doctor had just advised her that due to her poor health (due to Type I diabetes since age 4) and her plan for a demanding career as a doctor, she should accept the likelihood that she’d never be able to have kids. The very next day, Heather changed her major and set her sights on the parenting future she and Mike envisioned.

Through strict discipline and the ground-breaking technology for treatment of Type I diabetes, the insulin pump, new in 1993, Heather would soon be able to achieve her dream of having a family.

In October 1997, Mike and Heather bought their first home, in Westtown, PA. When they got married a month later, Mike was doing residential and commercial Civil Engineering for a small company in Bryn Mawr, and Heather had been teaching Spanish at Monsignor Bonner High School for two years. She taught there two more years, until she and Mike delightedly and miraculously became parents for the first time.

The Noonan kids (L to R): Mikey, Finn, Hope and Owen

Photo courtesy of Sierra Clark Photography www.SierraClarkPhoto.com

Their oldest son, “Mikey,” attended St. Anastasia School and graduated from Devon Prep in 2017. As a sophomore at Devon Prep, his excellent academic achievement gained him acceptance into Penn State’s Smeal College of Business. The summer after his Junior year, he volunteered in a week-long project sponsored by Catholic Hearts Work Camp, to repair and paint the home of some needy folks in Cumberland, MD. Mikey is now a Junior at Penn State, studying Marketing. This self-described “nerd for statistics” who earned a 4.0 last semester plans a career in Market Research, and is hoping for a summer internship in that field. Mikey is also a baseball and Phillies fan, and he spent his little league career playing for Marple Township Little League (MTLL). He has umpired for MTLL for the past 7 years.

Next son Owen, a Senior at Archbishop Carroll, also attended St. Anastasia School and has loved playing baseball since age 4. He played on the MTLL tournament team every year until playing the sport he so loves seemed like an impossibility: In 7th grade, he injured his arm when he threw a pitch while trying out for St. Annie’s Varsity baseball team. That injury proved to be a blessing in disguise: Owen adopted Heather’s recommended and proven mantra — “Never Quit!” — and was able to complete months of grueling physical therapy and a demanding self-imposed workout schedule that helped him resume playing baseball on Carroll’s Junior Varsity and Varsity teams and also on Broomall Newtown’s American Legion teams. When Owen serves as a Kairos leader at an upcoming retreat, he hopes that sharing his story about the fortitude he developed as he overcame his own physical adversities and life challenges will inspire younger Kairos participants to also “Never Quit!” Owen is waiting for college acceptance letters, and thinks he may study Criminal Justice.

Hope, a 7th-grader at St. Annie’s, loves the performing arts, especially singing. After small parts in over a dozen shows put on by a local youth theatre group, Hope attended Upper Darby High School’s Summer Stage program last summer. That fun experience included learning about improv, singing and dancing, and prepared her to do well in Media Theatre’s Vocalist Junior competition. She’s thrilled to have landed a singing part in Marple Newtown High School’s upcoming spring musical, Cinderella. Hope plans on attending MNHS and looks forward to participating in their Performing Arts program.

And finally, Finn: A 4th-grader at St. Annie’s and an MTLL baseball player, he’s also a left-handed drummer who enjoys being in St. Annie’s band and practicing with his drum set at home. He also likes playing video games and does many electronics and computer programming projects with the kit he got for Christmas. Finn is the Noonan family’s go-to guy for tech and video support. He thinks Future Finn will either “play for the Phillies or be an IT guy.”

At a Widener University career fair in 2006, Mike gave a talk about “practical, real-world” engineering know-how. He was a well-qualified speaker after working at a large infrastructure company for almost 10 years (at that time; 7 more since) on 3D modeling and complex engineering designs. A follow-up discussion with Widener’s Dean of Engineering (who had been Mike’s professor) led to an offer Mike accepted, to start teaching the Freshman Engineering CAD and Land Surveying classes. And since 2011, he’s been mentoring a project group of Senior Engineering majors. Mike currently works with HSC Builders and Construction Managers in Exton.

Until September, Heather worked part-time at Newtown Square Presbtyterian Nursery School and Grace Lutheran Nursery School while maintaining her full-time job as a stay-at-home mom of four. A “chance encounter” with St. Annie’s principal on the first day of school led to Heather immediately starting her full-time job teaching Spanish there for grades 1-8. The Noonan family’s 3-year-old 140-lb Bernese Mountain Dog named Willy now has the house all to himself while everyone is out.

(L to R) The Noonan Family: Hope, Heather, Owen, their Bernese Mountain Dog Willy, Mike, Mikey and Finn

Photo courtesy of Sierra Clark Photography www.SierraClarkPhoto.com

In the winter of 2003, Mike and Heather decided to move “back home,” and bought their second and current home on Raymond Rd in the Brookthorpe Hills section of Broomall. Heather’s parents live in the same Broomall home they moved to when she was 7. Mike’s dad (and best friend) passed away in May 2007, a month before Hope was born, after a two-year battle with cancer. Before he passed, his grandson Mikey got to tell him that his first granddaughter's name would be Hope, a fitting tribute to The Noonans’ “Never Quit!’ mantra. Mike’s mom and his Aunt Betsy still reside in Mike’s childhood home in Broomall. And some relatives live in neighboring counties. Everyone living so close by makes it easy to gather for holidays and birthdays, and also just to hang out. Mike and Heather are grateful that their kids get a lot of quality time with relatives.

MTLL has been a huge part of the Noonans’ lives. This Spring marks Mike’s 17th year coaching Marple Township Little League teams and also his 16th year on the MTLL Board. Through MTLL, the Noonan family has made friends with many great people who share their interests.

Heather and Mike also find the time and energy to manage the stage sets and crew for St. Annie’s shows. Everyone in the family loves evenings when they listen to, sing along with and enjoy music together. Each person picks one of their current favorites. Mike and Heather and a friend recently got out some of their old vinyl records so the kids could hear the difference between those “oldies” and the current synthesized music. It was a blast (from the past!), and everyone looks forward to another generational songfest again sometime soon.

The Noonan Family at Veterans Memorial Park in Broomall

Photo courtesy of Sierra Clark Photography www.SierraClarkPhoto.com

These high school sweethearts believe their strong desire for children and Heather’s “Never Quit!” attitude made it possible for them to share their lives with their four very healthy and lovable kids.

Do you know a family that readers of our magazine might like to meet in an upcoming issue? Nominate them by email to Liz Burnett at LBurnett@BestVersionMedia.com.