Obituary of Dr. N. Noel Testa

June 29, 2022

Dr. Noel Testa passed away peacefully at his home with his family by his side on June 29th, 2022. With pride, Noel would tell you he was born on Christmas Day, 1940, in New York City, where he lived his entire life. The child of Liberta “Bobbie” Testa and Dr. Nicholas D. Testa and younger brother of his beloved sister Barbara Ann Testa, Noel grew up in Manhattan and attended elementary school at The Epiphany School and high school at St. Francis Xavier School, where he was the commander of the X-squad. After high school, Noel attended the College of the Holy Cross and then went on to New York Medical College, where he not only received his medical degree but met his wife of 54 years, Maureen.

In 1968 Maureen and Noel were married at the church of St. Ignatius Loyola in Manhattan. Shortly after, Noel was drafted into the Air force, where he served as a Surgeon and held the rank of Captain at Westover Air force Base in Chicopee Falls, MA. After the birth of their first son, Paul, Noel and Maureen moved back to New York City, where Noel did his Orthopedic Surgery residency at NYU. Following that, Noel did a fellowship in Adult Reconstructive Surgery at the New England Baptist Hospital in Boston. In 1973, Noel and Maureen gave birth to their second son, Nicholas.

After his fellowship, Noel returned to NYU Medical Center to join the faculty of the Department of Orthopedics. He was an active clinician and educator with an extensive private practice focusing on hip and knee reconstruction. He served as Chief of Adult Reconstructive Surgery for many years. He prided himself on teaching the residents how to be good physicians and ensuring they matured into caring clinicians. Noel strove to go above and beyond to get to know the residents and their families, focusing on their wellbeing.

In 2001 Noel transitioned from his private practice and became the Chief of the Orthopedic Service at Bellevue Hospital. Noel initially thought this position would be a short-term role that would transition him into retirement, but that was far from the truth. Working at Bellevue, serving the most vulnerable patients of New York City, ended up being one of the greatest joys of Noel’s life. In this role, he was responsible for the continued growth of the service and expanding its presence as a leading department in the New York City Health and Hospital system, until his retirement in 2015.

While Noel took great pride in being a physician, his greatest love was for his family. Noel loved his wife deeply, and in their 54 years together, they traveled the world, making friends around the globe. Noel was proud of both his sons who followed in his footsteps - both became physicians. Noel always liked to see the family around the table expand and welcomed with open arms his daughter-in-law, Dr. Mariko Ishimori, her sister Junie Ishimori and Paul’s partner Kevin Healy. While Noel played many roles throughout his long and full life, the one that he enjoyed most was that of grandfather (aka Pacca) to his two beloved granddaughters, Kira, age 13, and Mika, age 11.

Those that knew Noel well were forever changed by his generosity, love, and unwavering commitment to others. It is impossible to know all the people that Noel had a positive influence on, as his reach and impact extended far beyond even that which his family is aware. In this time of passing, we have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of not just love and support but of people coming up to us sharing stories that all start with “Noel helped me so much…”. We hope that you can share your stories in the guest book as it brings our family much joy to hear all the lives he touched.

There will be a gathering with the family on Tuesday, July 5th, from 4 to 7 pm at Greenwich Village Funeral Home located at 199 Bleecker Street in Manhattan.

On Wednesday, July 6th at 10:30 am, there will be a funeral Mass at Church of the Holy Family located at 315 E 47th Street in Manhattan.

The family requests that donations in his memory be made to the newly established:

N. Noel Testa Fund for Orthopedic Resident Wellness at NYU Langone Orthopedics.

Donations can be made through this link: https://nyulangone.org/give/fundraise/noeltesta

Funeral Services