Thomas Augustine Noe III passed away peacefully and surrounded by his family at St. Thomas West Hospital in Nashville on May 15, 2024. Tom, who was 81, was the son of the late Judge Thomas A. Noe Jr. and the late Logan County librarian Lillian Clark Rhea Noe. As a Russellville native and direct descendent of five Logan County first families, his local roots run very deep.
Tom was a fourth generation Kentucky attorney, practicing law in Logan County for 46 years. Many people knew him best as Logan County Attorney, a position he held for 20 years (1990 - 2010). Over his five-term tenure, he built one of Kentucky’s leading offices for child support enforcement and won several awards for operating one of the top county attorney offices in the state. Above all else, Tom was known for his compassionate approach in his legal practice, especially as county attorney. He was a mentor to many people in the community.
As an active and devoted community member, Tom served for many years as a board member of the Logan County Public Library, a member of the Kiwanis Club, and in Sons of the American Revolution. He also was deeply spiritual, practicing his Christian faith as a member of Trinity Episcopal Church in Russellville, where he served in many leadership roles.
A 1961 graduate of Russellville High School, Tom enjoyed watching basketball almost as much as he enjoyed playing as an RHS Panther. He was an avid UK Wildcats fan, having received both a B.S. and J.D. from the University of Kentucky. UK is also where he met his wife Pege, and where their life together started. Before returning to Russellville with his family in 1978, they lived in Denver, Col.
As a prolific photographer, Tom documented the many places his family lived and explored over the years. His family is grateful to have this photographic record of their lives with Tom. As the grandchildren’s beloved TomTom, he showed up to photograph their basketball games, circus shows, and many travel adventures. TomTom delighted in his grandchildren.
Driven by equal parts intellectual curiosity and a refusal to be idle, Tom spent his retirement years writing a book about his ancestor and Logan County resident Elijah Hise, who in the 1860s served as a member of Congress and Chief Justice of the Kentucky Court of Appeals. What began as one volume has expanded into two, and the family hopes to announce publishing dates in the near future.
Tom is survived by his wife Margaret (Pege) Eslinger Noe; his children, Caitlin Noe Moon (Gavin), Ian Rodric Noe, and Aeron Elizabeth Noe (Jacob Grotta); his grandchildren, Lillian Elizabeth Moon, Aidan Joseph Moon, Esme Rhea Grotta, Emil Clement Grotta, and Sidney Joseph Noe; and his sister, Jane Rhea Duncan (Ike). Tom was preceded in death by his brothers Albert Rhea Noe and John Clark Noe.
The family will host a public celebration of Tom’s life later this summer with details forthcoming.
In lieu of flowers, the family invites donations to one of the local community organizations Tom so valued: Trinity Episcopal Church (P.O. Box 162, Russellville, KY 42276), the Logan County Public Library (https://loganlibrary.org/donations/), and the SEEK Museum (https://seekmuseum.org/donate/).
Summers and Son Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.