All losses to our community are bad, but some are worse than others. Phil Noble is one of those.

Noble died last Sunday at Overlake Hospital as a result of complications from a blood disorder.

Noble was 62 – just 62! – far too young to have his life – and his contributions to the Bellevue community – end so suddenly.

Noble’s interests and contributions were numerous.

He joined the Bellevue City Council in 1999, twice re-elected and serving as deputy mayor for two years.

Before that he was a stalwart on the Bellevue School Board, serving eight years on that body, twice as board president.

Add to that his eight-year membership on the city’s Transportation Commission and you get a feeling for his impact on the city.

During all of his tenures, Bellevue was moving dramatically ahead, much of it due to Noble’s long hours serving the public in addition to his busy law practice.

As former city council member Mike Creighton put it: “He really tried to do a good job for people.”

Noble’s service to the city extended beyond city and school issues. He dedicated significant time to human-services issues, serving with the Eastside Human Services Forum and on the governing board of the King County Committee to End Homelessness.

You wouldn’t see him ranting and raving at a meeting. Instead he made his mark exercising quiet and thoughtful leadership behind the scenes. His was the voice of reason in a booming and bustling city. He was the person others turned to for guidance.

He earned this respect over the 45 years he lived in Bellevue. He was a graduate of Sammamish High School. Later, after getting his law degree from the University of Washington, he was a practicing attorney in Bellevue and, most recently, an administrative-law judge.

His days, and evenings, were full of community service. If there was work to be done to make Bellevue a better place, and those who lived and worked here better off, Noble was there – on a committee or leading it.

Bellevue is a far better place because of Noble’s service. We can honor his memory by doing our best to follow his example.

– Craig Groshart, Editor, Bellevue Reporter