Basic Information
| Field | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Noel J. Mickelson |
| Birth Date | August 22, 1943 (some sources say early 1940s) |
| Place of Birth | Jackson County, Minnesota, USA |
| Ethnicity / Heritage | Danish and Ashkenazi Jewish descent |
| Occupations | Artist, equestrian, carpenter/craftswoman |
| Marriage | Married John Amos in 1965 (divorced 1975) |
| Children | Daughter: Shannon Amos (b. 1966); Son: K.C. Amos (b. 1970) |
| Later life / health | After remarriage faced severe medical complications, became blind and quadriplegic; died 2016 |
| Known For | Breaking norms with interracial marriage in 1965, equestrian artistry, raising children who entered entertainment |
A Life Lived on Many Tracks
I often imagine Noel walking into the fine‑arts studio at Colorado State University in the early 1960s—cool light streaming in, clay or paint on her hands, a horse in her mind’s eye. It was there she met John Amos, a young athlete‑actor‑hopeful, and they embarked on a life that would ripple outward for decades.
In 1965, Noel and John tied the knot—two years before the landmark ruling that made interracial marriage legal across the U.S. Their union wasn’t just personal, it was quietly revolutionary. Their daughter Shannon was born in 1966, followed by son K.C. in 1970. The family relocated from New Jersey (where they began as social workers) to Los Angeles as John’s career took off.
Noel, meanwhile, had her own passions. She rode horses, created art, worked with her hands, and was grounded in craft—and in strength. She supported John’s creative dreaming (“Being an artist herself, she understood my reluctance to accept the 9‑to‑5 world,” John later reflected) and raised their children on a property with horses in Sylmar, California.
Their marriage lasted a decade — till 1975. The divorce was heavy, and by Shannon’s recollection Noel endured “a nervous breakdown” during that period. But the story doesn’t stop at separation.
Noel remarried a Disney special‑effects engineer and moved to a ranch in California. There, in the mid‑1990s, a surgical complication turned her life upside down: a hysterectomy gone wrong left her blind and quadriplegic. Her second husband cared for her until his death about nine years later. Noel passed away in 2016, her legacy quietly profound.
Family & Connections: The Cast of Her Life
Here’s the lineup of people who matter in Noel’s story—each one adding depth, contrast, and texture.
| Name | Relationship | Role in the story |
|---|---|---|
| John Amos | First husband | The actor husband whose career took flight; their marriage bridged race, art & sport in one leap. |
| Shannon Amos | Daughter (b. 1966) | Grew up behind the scenes, became producer‑executive; has spoken about her mother’s courage and their childhood. |
| K.C. Amos | Son (b. 1970) | Filmmaker/director, Grammy‑nominated; his career echoes his parents’ blend of creativity and discipline. |
| Noel’s second husband | Unnamed (Disney SFX engineer) | The partner who supported her in her later years, while she battled illness. |
In the 1960s and 70s, the blend of Danish/Ashkenazi Jewish heritage (Noel) + Black American heritage (John) made their marriage unusually bold. Noel told her children that learning to “let your river of tears flow” (her words) was vital—a metaphor that still circulates in family posts. Today, Shannon scatters her mother’s ashes around the world as fulfillment of one of her final wishes.
Career & Identity: Art, Horses, and Quiet Bravery
Noel’s story isn’t only about marriage and motherhood—it’s also the tale of a woman designing her own lanes.
Equestrian & Craft
From the rolling farms of Minnesota to a California ranch, Noel was not content to sit still. She rode, maintained endurance‑rider status, and was known in equestrian circles for her calm strength and deep connection to animals. Her craftmanship—woodworking, art pieces, hands‑in‑the‑dirt kind of work—etched roots into reality even while her life spun through public transitions.
Artist & Supportive Partner
At Colorado State University she studied fine arts—a foundation that grounded her later life. In marrying John, she did not fade into background: she brought understanding, creativity, and support. She encouraged his dreams when society might have told her to hush. When John credit‑ed her for knowing the artistic pull, he was honouring her own internal landscape.
Net Worth / Public Profile
Noel didn’t achieve celebrity status in the usual sense; her value was relational, foundational, often invisible to headline glitz. Her net worth isn’t documented in celebrity‑style terms—but the richness of her life is found in the people she raised, the bridge she built (racially, generationally), the horses she rode, the art she made, the stamina she carried.
Moments That Matter
- 1965: Marriage, when interracial unions were illegal in 16 states. Marrying at that time placed Noel in a quiet rebellion of love.
- 1966 & 1970: Birth years of Shannon and K.C., respectively. These years anchor the family timeline.
- 1975: Divorce. A shift. Noel transitions from partner to single parent life and redirects her path.
- Mid‑1990s: Medical crisis turning Noel into a blind quadriplegic. A dramatic fall from self‑reliant equestrian to vulnerable patient—and yet she remained centred in her children’s memories and rituals.
- 2016: Noel’s death. What remained was not a blockbuster obituary—but a felt absence, a quiet legacy.
Why Her Story Resonates
Because Noel’s life is less about a spotlight and more about the spaces between light and shadow. She rode horses while the cameras rolled for her husband. She chose an artist’s path while being a mother. She married across race lines when society still resisted. And when life flattened her from the horse to the wheelchair, she became memory, story, symbol.
In pop‑culture terms: think of her as the character who isn’t always on screen, yet you feel the world shift because of her presence—like the one who holds the portal open, nudges the hero, then steps aside. A fearless quiet. A risk‑taker in boots.
Her family—Shannon and K.C.—carry her narrative. They shape their careers, handle their father’s legacy, and scatter her ashes around the world. They honour the boldness of a mother who loved horses, art, and life so deeply she refused to be defined by marriage alone.
When I think of Noel J. Mickelson I imagine the clop of hooves, the stretch of canvas, the moment of a brushstroke, a marriage in defiance of law, a mother teaching her children how to cry the right way: with full hearts.
She may not be in every headline—but she’s in every scene worth watching.
FAQ
Q: Who was Noel J. Mickelson married to?
She was married to actor John Amos from 1965 until their divorce in 1975.
Q: How many children did Noel have and who are they?
She had two children: daughter Shannon Amos (born 1966) and son K.C. Amos (born 1970).
Q: What was her professional background?
Noel was an artist, equestrian, craftswoman and supported her husband’s early career while pursuing her own creative passions.
Q: Where did Noel J. Mickelson come from ethnically?
She was of Danish and Ashkenazi Jewish descent, born in Minnesota (or Iowa in some sources) in the early 1940s.
Q: What happened to Noel in her later years?
A medical complication in the mid‑1990s left her blind and quadriplegic, and she passed away in 2016.
