Noël–or Noey–Congdon and her husband Tom suffered the ultimate tragedy when their daughter Natasha fell to her death on Fall Trip in 1978. Former Head of School Chris Babbs wrote this about Noey: “She somehow transformed her personal grief into a mission to save the school and insure its survival in keeping with the best definition of the school’s mission. And she succeeded in doing that…It has for me remained the best model of leadership in action that I have ever encountered. For that the school, and I, have forever been in her debt.” Noey served as CRMS Trustee for 9 years from 1978 to 1987, chairing the Board for 6 of those years.

Obituary

Noël Robbins Congdon (Noëy), a legend of culture and community in Denver and Aspen, passed away peacefully at home on July 7, 2023. She was surrounded by family, wrapped in songs, stories and tender embrace.

Noëy lived a life of boundless generosity and curiosity. Driven by a determined vision of a thriving and just community, Noëy gave her time and energy to programs, people, and institutions we all enjoy. Take a walk around Denver or Aspen and you will see Noël Congdon’s enduring contributions to the performing and fine arts, education, community development and political leadership. Never one to seek or claim the credit, Noëy’s lifetime of keen leadership was celebrated by colleagues and friends at “Tea with Noëy” at the Denver Art Museum last October. The breadth of sincere accolades was highlighted by the Mayor’s declaration of October 20, 2022 as Noëy Congdon Day!

Noëy arrived in Denver in 1959, the new bride of Thomas E. Congdon. Already a woman with years of international experience and a cosmopolitan flare, she saw Denver as a sleepy city waiting to flower. Along with Tom, she plunged into helping grow the fledgling Denver Art Museum by luring business leaders to add their support over a dinner of her divine beef stew (and a good red wine)! In later years, she helped found the Alliance for Contemporary Art to build the Contemporary Art collection at the Museum. In the 1990’s and 2000’s, Noëy chaired the Mayor’s Commission on Arts, Culture and Film under Mayor Wellington Webb and Mayor John Hickenlooper. She helped transition the Colorado Council on the Arts to the State Economic Development Office, making Colorado the first state to secure reliable funding for arts and culture. She played a key role in forging many other art institutions including the Trident Theater, the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Opera Colorado, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Denver and the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art.

Her career in community development began in the 1970’s. Fresh out of a master’s program in community planning, Noëy linked arms with leaders at the Westside Action Center and NEWSED on Denver’s westside to restore and revitalize the neighborhood blighted by the development of the Auraria campus. She was a founder of Electing Women, offering her wisdom to nurture political careers of fine rising leaders. As a donor with Tom to the Denver Scholarship Foundation, Noël relished hours spent in counseling centers with aspiring college students, advising them on the challenges and successes that lay ahead. Noëy’s enduring contributions beyond Denver extend to her transformative leadership at the Colorado Rocky Mountain School in Carbondale and the Aspen Music Festival and School.

Noëy deeply enjoyed time with family, world travel, summers of music and winters of skiing in Aspen, and sailing near her family home in Stonington, Connecticut. She was equally thrilled hiking alpine meadows above Aspen as she was taking in the sea air and maritime bounty on eastern and western shores. Her gift at the piano filled homes and delighted hearts.  Other artistic pursuits yielded a bounty of watercolor paintings and pencil sketches.

Noëy’s shared passions with Tom in their marriage of 60 years centered on collecting art and on philanthropy. She saw beauty in all of humanity. For her, every person’s story was integral to the fabric that weaves us together. This drove her to offer meaningful aid to a wide array of causes. In recent years, Noëy focused on a philanthropic collaboration with her daughters, “The 3 Sister’s Fund”, to move from charity to justice in providing food security in our community. A consummate role model, she shepherded her 4 young grandchildren to embrace their own path in making the world a better place for others.

Noël Robbins was born in Hell’s Kitchen in the Chelsea District of New York City in 1928. Together with her two beloved sisters, Chelsea (one year older) and Judy (six years younger), she spent her early years travelling between New York City and England and France. With parents Stanton Robbins and Hilda Bergner Robbins working in the travel business, home was a moving target until she settled in Denver. Noëy cherished her high school years at the Forman School in Litchfield, Connecticut. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Religious Studies from Mount Holyoke College in 1950. She lived and worked in Puerto Rico for several years after college, and then moved to New York City where she enjoyed fine friends, rich culture, and work for the Central Intelligence Agency (the only spy in the family!) Years later, with 3 small children, she took on the challenge of her master’s degree in Community Planning and Development at CU Denver.

Noëy Congdon was the adoring and adored mother of three daughters, Chelsea (Brundige), Natasha (d. 1978) and Lucy (Hanson). She was a trusted friend and inspiration to 4 grandchildren Tashi and Miles Brundige, and Harper and Lark Hanson and 2 sons-in-law, Charlie Hanson and James Brundige. Preceded in death by her husband Tom, and her two sisters Chelsea and Judy, daughter Natasha and grandson Miles, she is the revered matriarch of the Robbins Family clan who celebrated her at a family reunion in June of this year!