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CFD Capt. Bill Noke added to National Fallen Firefighters Memorial

William G. “Bill” Noke served in Acton from 1986 until his retirement in 2021.

By Dakota Antelman ·

Assistant Fire Chief Sean Murphy holds a folded American flag during a ceremony honoring CFD Capt. Bill Noke and other fallen firefighters. Photo courtesy Acton Fire Department
Assistant Fire Chief Sean Murphy holds a folded American flag during a ceremony honoring CFD Capt. Bill Noke and other fallen firefighters. Photo courtesy Acton Fire Department

With red lights cast on local buildings and a somber interstate trip, Acton turned out this past weekend to honor late fire Capt. Bill Noke. 

Bill Noke rose through the ranks of the Acton Fire Department and retired as a captain in 2021. Photo courtesy Acton Fire Department
Bill Noke rose through the ranks of the Acton Fire Department and retired as a captain in 2021. Photo courtesy Acton Fire Department

Noke’s was one of 204 names added to the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial at the National Fire Academy in Maryland.

Fire Chief Brian Whitney attended the ceremony with a dozen current and retired Acton firefighters and 14 of Noke’s family members. “It definitely was a great weekend recognizing and honoring Billy,” Whitney told The Acton Bridge.

People in the crowd at the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial this past weekend held candles during a ceremony honoring those who lost their lives due to their work. Photo courtesy Acton Fire Department
People in the crowd at the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial this past weekend held candles during a ceremony honoring those who lost their lives due to their work. Photo courtesy Acton Fire Department

Noke served in Acton from 1986 until his retirement in 2021. 

Assistant Fire Chief Sean Murphy, in white hat, holds a flag that was later presented to Capt. Bill Noke’s wife during a ceremony honoring him. Photo courtesy Acton Fire Department
Assistant Fire Chief Sean Murphy, in white hat, holds a flag that was later presented to Capt. Bill Noke’s wife during a ceremony honoring him. Photo courtesy Acton Fire Department

He was a “dedicated” firefighter with a “very solid sense of humor,” Whitney said: “If you spent some time with Billy at work, you were probably laughing at some point.”

Jeff Lex escorts Capt. Bill Noke’s wife, Rebecca, after she received a folded flag at the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial in Maryland. Photo courtesy Acton Fire Department
CFD firefighter Jeff Lex escorts Capt. Bill Noke’s wife, Rebecca, after she received a folded flag at the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial. Photo courtesy Acton Fire Department

Noke enjoyed his work, Assistant Fire Chief Sean Murphy told The Bridge, and didn’t want to leave the CFD — even as he approached the mandatory retirement age of 65. 

He started battling metastatic esophageal cancer weeks after his retirement.

Noke, a father, grandfather, and great-grandfather died in 2023, and his death was deemed work-related. 

This was the first time that a Acton firefighter had their name added to the national memorial.

Whitney and Murphy lauded crews who took extra shifts to let their colleagues travel. 

Back home, officials urged residents and businesses to light their buildings in red to honor fallen firefighters, as Noke’s wife, Rebecca, and fire department staff did. 

“It was emotional,” Murphy said of the memorial events. “It hits home.”

At the time of Noke’s death, his family said that gifts in his honor could be made to Massachusetts General Hospital in support of gastric and esophageal cancer research, fund 234806, via giving.massgeneral.org.

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