William Harrison Noland

William Harrison Noland

He loved casting a line near Cockenoe Island and catching the surf along the Malibu coast. He treasured the Green Monster and the Grateful Dead, fresh powder under his board at Okemo, sliding into third on the softball field and analyzing NFL stats.

But more than anything, Will loved his big life–his family, his friends who felt like family and his dogs, Fenway and Brady.

On August 22, William Noland, of Fairfield, Connecticut, passed away peacefully in Venice, California.

Born in Atlanta on July 24, 1998, Will was a graduate of Fairfield Country Day School, Middlesex School and Pepperdine University, where he studied Economics.

He was a compassionate and selfless big brother to Hallie and Christopher and played the role of surrogate big brother to his family’s close Fairfield friends. He shared a special bond and brotherhood with everyone who met him, but especially with the members of Pepperdine’s Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity.

Will was always there when you needed him. And, more importantly, he was there during those times when you didn’t know you did. A bouquet of flowers on the doorstep every Mother’s Day, an unexpected phone call to his grandparents in the middle of the afternoon, surprise Dead & Co. concert tickets–Will would do anything for anyone because in his life forecast, there was always more sunshine than cloudy days.

He had a unique gift for seeing the sun behind the clouds and the beauty in the world around him. He understood the healing power of a big hug, the majestic spirit of elephants, the faith within The Serenity Prayer, the beat of an acoustic jam at a Dave Matthews show and the connection he could create with others. Some of Will’s happiest memories included learning to surf as a teen from his Uncle Jim, visiting relatives in South Carolina, playing Chess with his Pop and gathering at annual family reunions in the Pocono Mountains and the beaches of Hawaii with his cousins, two sets of aunts and uncles and grandparents.

Big Will, as his parents Leslie and Pat affectionately called him, loved big. (In fact, he even loved to celebrate the Patriots big 2016 Super Bowl win every year following.)

In memory of the Big Life that Will lived, a Celebration of His Life will be held on Wednesday, August 31 at 3pm at Greenfield Hill Congregational Church, 1045 Old Academy Road, Fairfield CT. Calling hours will be on Tuesday, August 30 from 1-4pm at the church’s Memorial Hall.

Will left the world a better place than he found it. In lieu of flowers, the Noland family would like to honor his compassion for others and generous spirit by requesting donations be made to The Pepperdine RISE Resilience Program, a University-wide effort to help equip Pepperdine students with the skills to work through and recover from adversity. http://give.pepperdine.edu/resilience/noland .