Colette R. (Noone) Philhower

Colette Noone Philhower

June 17, 1932 – December 1, 2018

Colette Noone Philhower passed away peacefully on December 1, 2018, at Calvary Hospital in the Bronx, New York. She was predeceased by her beloved husband, David; parents Joseph and Helen Noone; siblings Maxine Noone, Joy Schaedel, Helen Gasper, Dennis J. Noone, Jr., Mary Anne Grande, John Thomas Noone, and Vincentia Sanders; and in-laws Joseph Schaedel, Sr., Donald Hoffman, Robert Gasper, and Helen Sanders Noone. Survivors include sisters Betty Hoffman, Kay (James) Woods, and JoEllen (Ron) Eckstein; brothers Francis (Marianne) Noone and Steve (Kathy) Noone; and in-laws Karol Noone, James Grande, and William Sanders. While Colette and David did not have their own children, she treasured her parents and siblings, as well as forty-nine nieces and nephews, four of whom were her Godchildren: David (Joanie) Grande, Mark (Peggy) Gasper, Daniel (Choung) Noone, and Veronica (Ryan) Thatcher. She never missed returning to Indiana for any family event.

Colette was an executive secretary at RCA Corporation in Indianapolis and relocated to New York when her boss was transferred in 1958. It was there that she met the love of her life, David, who was a sound engineer at RCA. They lived twenty-two years of happily-married life in Brooklyn before David passed away in 1982. She moved into Manhattan in 1985 and continued to be a “New Yorker” at heart.

In 1969, Colette went to work at Gulf + Western as an executive assistant to one of the company’s vice presidents. When he left the company to form Providence Capital Corporation in 1983, she went with him and became the executive assistant to the chairman of the board. After he sold Providence Capital to form a family investment company, Colette again followed him. He became a principal in the Boston Celtics Limited Partnership, the parent company of the professional basketball franchise. Colette assisted the owners in many aspects of the team management, including overseeing its New York office, from that date until the team was sold in 2002. After the sale of the team, she continued to work for the family’s new company, Henley Limited Partnership, until she officially retired in January 2016. Her roles included secretarial and accounting services, as well as office management, human resources, and property management.

Colette was a gregarious, generous, sophisticated lady, with a terrific sense of humor, which came out prominently during card and board games with family. She treasured her Irish heritage and loved to travel. If any family members came to New York, she welcomed them into her home, dined with them at her favorite Neary’s Restaurant, and made sure they could see a show on Broadway. Everyone who knew her became a friend and treasured their moments with her. As a result, she had a broad spectrum of friends. She was a longstanding, faith-filled parishioner of St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church in Manhattan. Colette was a frequent blood donor and had been involved with Big Sisters of New York, where she once earned the organization’s Volunteer of the Year Award. She closely followed New York professional sports teams, except the Celtics took priority attention over the Knicks and Nets.

Visitation will be held on Monday, December 10, 2018 from 9:30 - 11:30 am in the Father Courtney Room at Saint Luke Catholic Church, followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 11:30 in the church celebrated by Colette's nephew, Monsignor Joseph Schaedel. In lieu of flowers, the family requests contributions to St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church, 348 East 55th Street, New York, NY 10022. Lauck and Veldhof Funeral Home is handling arrangements.

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