Obituary: Noal Cushing Bateman

Noal Cushing Bateman 'Mr. Sandy" 1912 ~ 2006 When a friend calls to me from the road . . . I don't stand still and look around On all the (rows) I haven't hoed . . No, not if there is time to talk . . . Robert Frost Noal Cushing Bateman returned to his Heavenly Father on March 20, 2006 at the age of 94 after a full and inspiring life. Born in West Jordan, the youngest child of George Leo and Melrhea Cushing Bateman, Noal moved to Sandy when he was only three months old and lived there for the remainder of his life. Sandy was just a small rural town when Noal helped his invalid father run the family's feed store, which became Sandy's main gathering place, thanks to the radio---the only one in town. This gave Noal the opportunity from a young age to befriend people of all ages. He was a natural leader and was urged to run for Sandy Council before he was even married. This began his life of more than 70 years of community service, including 20 years as Treasurer, Councilman and Mayor. He was a strong advocate of expansion and became Salt Lake County's water expert, resulting in Sandy's growth from the mile square town it had been to what it is today---one of Utah's largest cities with a population of over 100,000. Noal served as the President of the Sandy PTA when funding was needed to build the Sandy Elementary School, Director of the Salt Lake County Water Conservancy for 35 years, Director for South Salt Lake County Mosquito Abatement Board for six years, and as Chairman of the Community Development Block Grant Program to preserve and rehabilitate old Sandy for 11 years. Noal's devoted service culminated in his receiving a special award from Sandy City in 1986, the "Noal Bateman Service Award" representing 52 years of continuous service. This award is still presented yearly, in Noal's name, to worthy recipients. He was further honored in 2001 when the Main Sandy Post Office was renamed the "Noal C. Bateman Post Office" by an act of the U.S. Congress. Noal met his lovely wife Beth Thompson at a church dance, and they were married in the Salt Lake Temple. They celebrated 68 years together before her death in 2004. She canned and cooked while he tended the garden or shall we say "small farm," growing sky high corn, wonderful tomatoes, and of course, his famous raspberries. But again, even more than he loved to garden, he loved to visit. He would lean on his shovel and greet each passerby, knowing every person in Sandy by name. Yes, for Noal, there really always was "time to talk." Noal was extremely active in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, serving in multiple bishoprics and stake high councils. Noal and Beth also served four years as missionaries for the Church. He loved the Lord and we always got the impression he was talking to a close friend whenever he prayed. We, his family members, will always remember him best as "Grandpa Noal" the guy in the grubs and big straw hat--the grandpa who was never too busy to get out the little boats to float in the ditch or let us take a ride on the tractor lawn mower. There were those traditional Easter egg hunts; funnies at the Christmas parties, lots of licorice, hugs and kisses. He loved his children and their spouses, Dennis (Caryll) Bateman, MelRae (David) Brown, Brenda (Joe) Biesinger, and Vaun (Anya) Bateman; his 15 grandchildren; and 30 great-grandchildren unconditionally and was very proud of his family. Grandpa thanked us before he died and let us know how much he loved us. But then he always had. "I still have so much to do," he said last week when it was apparent his turn on earth was coming to an end. "Time goes by so fast." And yes, it does. We're fortunate that once in a while we run into someone like Noal Bateman who makes those minutes here on earth so much more pleasant and memorable. Funeral services for Noal will be held at 12:00 noon, Saturday, March 25th at the Sandy First Ward chapel, 8650 South 220 East with viewings from 10:45-11:45 that day and 6:00-8:00 p.m. at the church the previous evening (Friday, the 24th) Interment--the Sandy City Cemetery.