James Brendan Nolan
January 14, 2022
Peacefully passed away on Friday, January 14, 2022, at Henley Place LTC Residence in London, Ontario, Canada, in his 82nd year.
Survived by his wife Maryann Nolan; his children Anne Ravanona, Jaime Nolan Miralles, David Nolan, Michael Nolan, Sarah Nolan Miralles; first wife; siblings Eileen Nagle, Kenneth Nolan and Anne Donegan; brother-in-law Willie Donegan; grandchildren Emily and Ethan Nolan Ravanona, Aaron, Ines and Daniel O’Keefe Nolan Miralles, Sophia and Mathew Nolan, Aisling Campbell Nolan, Roxy, Billy, and Lily-Rose Nolan, Uma and Cormac Nolan Miralles DeBrun; son-in-law Stéphane Ravanona, Anne Marie Devitt, Kate Stewart; nephews and nieces; and Maryann’s daughters Laura, Beverley and families.
Predeceased by his beloved son Paul Nolan Miralles and brother Michael Nolan.
James Brendan Nolan was born in Dublin, Ireland on October 3, 1939, the first child of Ellen and James Nolan. He had 2 sisters, Eileen and Anne and 2 brothers, Michael and Kenneth. As a young man he excelled academically and entered the Jesuit order at the young age of 17.
He obtained a BSC in Mathematics and Physics at University College Dublin, Ireland followed by Bachelor degrees in Philosophy and Theology, and a diploma in higher education.
As a Jesuit, he studied in Chantilly, France, became a teacher and taught Math and Physics at the prestigious Clongowes Wood College for boys in Ireland. He spoke fluent French and Spanish, had a good understanding of German and was well travelled.
He left the Jesuit order, then married his first wife in 1971 and they enjoyed 28 years of marriage and had six children together. During that time, he worked as a training manager at Rowntree Macintosh (now Nestlé) before joining Leo Laboratories pharmaceutical company in Dublin, where he worked for many years as HR Director. He remained spiritual, took part in bible study groups in Ireland and Canada for many years. He was an expert on the Gospels, with a preference for the gospel of St. Paul.
He loved art (in particular Picasso, Markey) and music (from Bach, Schubert, Mozart and Chopin to Jacques Brel and Leonard Cohen) and enjoyed playing bridge when younger. He loved going to art exhibitions and concerts, was an avid reader and enjoyed meditation.
Later he took over part of the English Language School his first wife had set up and managed it for a few years before retiring permanently to London, Canada in 2001. He married his second wife Maryann Bach Maier in 2000 and they lived out the end of his years in London, Ontario, Canada.
Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Wednesday, January 19, 2022 at Westview Funeral Chapel, 709 Wonderland Road North, London at 1:00 p.m. (Eastern Standard Time – Canada) with visitation one-hour prior, followed by a burial at St. James’ Cemetery in Watford, Ontario, Canada. Registration will be required to attend as attendance numbers will be restricted.
To register for the Mass, please click here: Registration page for James’ funeral mass on Wednesday, January 19, 2022 beginning at 1:00 p.m., with visitation one hour prior.
A livestream of the service will be available for those wishing to view the service remotely. To view the livestream, please click here: https://bit.ly/BrendanNolanFuneral
In lieu of flowers, those wishing to make a donation in Brendan’s memory are asked to please consider Alzheimer Society Southwest Partners or Amnesty International Canada.
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Always a welcoming host and a witty conversationalist with a compassionate perspective. He was truly a gentleman…and will be much missed. Heartfelt condolences to Maryann. “And when Irish eyes are smiling, Sure, they steal your heart away.”
Greatly saddened by the passing of Uncle Brendan. A great source of sage advice and wisdom over the years. My condolences to all our dear cousins and his siblings Eileen, Kenneth and Anne and Brendan's wider family. May Brendan rest in peace.
Brendan you will be so sorely missed by your family and many friends. Your warm and welcoming smile always made us feel so at home in your home. We loved the great conversations we had and your many thought provoking statements. One of our favourite poems by Tennyson comes to mind at this time. Sunset and evening star And one clear call for me! And may there be no moaning of the bar When I put out to sea. Rest in peace dear friend.
Brendan was truly a gentle gentleman
Brendan, I always said you were my favorite of Maryann's three husbands even though her first was my brother. We always enjoyed seeing you and the conversation were always interesting. "May flights of angels sing thee to thy rest."
Brendan, we shall miss our times together. Over endless cups of tea, we solved the problems of the world. You were full of so much knowledge that you shared with us over the years. You even gave me excellent touring advice when I finally got to my ancestral home - Ireland. You had a smile that made us feel calm, like it was all going to be okay in the end. We’ll miss your engaging laugh, your dancing eyes. Who said leprechauns aren’t real? Thank you for your friendship and love. Safe journey, dear soul.
Services for James Brendan Nolan
Funeral Mass for James Brendan Nolan will be held at:
Westview Funeral Chapel
709 Wonderland Road North,
London, Ontario
January 19, 2022 12:00 pm to 2:00 pm
Anne & family, I am so saddened to hear of Brendan’s passing. I thoroughly enjoyed every conversation with him that I had at Henley Place. He was such a smart man with a strong passion for everything he talked about. He especially loved all of his children, and grandchildren and talked of you all often, especially after your zoom chats with him. His life story was fascinating and I’m grateful to have met him. Thinking of you, Lacey W (LEA @ Henley)
~ Lacey