Noel J. Mickelson: The Life and Legacy of John Amos’ First Wife

Noel J. Mickelson was an American artist, carpenter, and equestrian known for her creative talent and independent nature. She enjoyed art, craftsmanship, horses, nature, and living a peaceful private life.

She became widely known as the first wife of American actor John Amos. Their interracial marriage began in 1965, during an important period of social and legal change across the United States.

This article explores Noel J. Mickelson’s early life, education, creative career, love of horses, marriage to John Amos, children, later years, and the meaningful legacy she left behind.

Quick Bio

Who Was Noel J. Mickelson?

Noel J. Mickelson was an American artist, carpenter, and skilled horse lover. Creativity played an important role throughout her life, and she enjoyed expressing herself through art and practical craftsmanship.

She became especially recognized through her relationship with John Amos, the celebrated actor known for projects such as Good Times and Roots. However, Noel developed interests and abilities that were separate from Hollywood.

She preferred a quieter lifestyle instead of seeking public attention. Art, family, horses, nature, and creative work remained important parts of her identity throughout the different stages of her life.

Noel J. Mickelson Early Life

Noel Jean Mickelson was born on August 22, 1943, in Jackson County, Minnesota. She spent her early years in a rural environment where open spaces, farms, animals, and nature surrounded everyday life.

Her parents were Wilbur B. Mickelson and Dorothy J. Tims. Her family background included Ashkenazi Jewish and Danish roots, adding different cultural influences to the environment in which she was raised.

Growing up around nature helped Noel develop an early appreciation for animals and outdoor life. She also became interested in creative activities and enjoyed making things with her own hands.

Noel J. Mickelson Parents and Family Background

Wilbur B. Mickelson and Dorothy J. Tims raised Noel with an appreciation for education, creativity, independence, and hard work. These qualities became visible in the interests she followed later in adulthood.

Her family environment gave her opportunities to explore practical and artistic skills. Instead of limiting herself to one interest, Noel developed abilities in several areas that required creativity, patience, and discipline.

Her Danish and Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry was also an important part of her family background. Noel nevertheless built her adult identity mainly around her own creative interests, family, and independent way of living.

Education at Colorado State University

After completing her earlier education, Noel attended Colorado State University. She studied fine arts, giving her an opportunity to strengthen the artistic abilities and creative interests she had developed while growing up.

University life exposed Noel to different people, ideas, and forms of artistic expression. Her studies helped develop her knowledge of design, painting, creativity, and the process of turning ideas into physical work.

Colorado State University also became important to her personal life. It was during her college years that she met John Amos, beginning a relationship that eventually became an important chapter in both lives.

How Noel J. Mickelson Met John Amos

Noel Mickelson and John Amos first crossed paths while studying at Colorado State University. John was studying sociology and playing football, while Noel was developing her abilities through her fine arts education.

The two came from very different family backgrounds, but they developed a strong connection. Their college relationship grew into love as they spent more time together and considered building a future.

Their relationship developed during a challenging period for interracial couples in America. Despite the social attitudes surrounding such relationships, Noel and John continued together and eventually decided to marry.

Noel J. Mickelson Marriage to John Amos

Noel J. Mickelson married John Amos in 1965. Their wedding happened two years before the landmark Loving v. Virginia decision changed laws surrounding interracial marriage throughout the United States in 1967.

Their relationship therefore existed during an important period in American social history. Interracial couples continued facing prejudice and significant social pressure, while several states still maintained laws restricting interracial marriage.

Noel and John built their family while society was experiencing major change. Their marriage lasted approximately ten years and became one of the most widely discussed aspects of Noel’s life years later.

Noel J. Mickelson as an Artist

Art was much more than a passing interest for Noel. She studied fine arts at university and continued using her creativity throughout her life, enjoying the process of producing things with her hands.

Painting and other forms of artistic expression gave Noel ways to explore ideas and creativity. Her appreciation for nature and different cultural influences also became connected with her approach to creative work.

She did not build her identity around becoming a public celebrity artist. Instead, creativity remained a personal and meaningful part of her lifestyle and later influenced the creative environment surrounding her children.

Her Carpentry Skills

Another interesting part of Noel Mickelson’s life was her ability to work with wood. Carpentry combined practical craftsmanship with the artistic qualities that were already central to her personality and interests.

She enjoyed creating useful objects and working with her hands. Furniture, household pieces, and artistic projects allowed her to combine problem-solving abilities with creativity and turn basic materials into finished objects.

Carpentry was an unusual path for many women during Noel’s younger years. Her willingness to develop these skills reflected the independence and confidence that appeared throughout several different areas of her life.

Love for Horses and Equestrian Life

Horses were another major interest in Noel’s life. Growing up around rural surroundings and animals helped her develop an appreciation for horseback riding, which remained an important activity as she grew older.

She developed strong riding abilities and became deeply involved with horses. Equestrian activities required patience, discipline, confidence, and trust between horse and rider, qualities that suited Noel’s independent and determined personality.

Her interest in horses also connected naturally with her love of nature. Rather than centering her life around celebrity culture, Noel found enjoyment through creativity, animals, outdoor environments, and practical activities.

Children of Noel J. Mickelson

Noel and John Amos became parents to two children, Shannon Amos and Kelly Christopher “K.C.” Amos. Shannon was born in 1966, while K.C. joined the family several years later in 1970.

Both children eventually entered creative professions. Shannon developed a career involving writing and producing, while K.C. became involved in directing, producing, editing, acting, and other areas of film and entertainment.

Creativity therefore continued into the next generation of the family. Noel’s artistic interests and encouragement helped create an environment where her children could develop their own abilities and find individual forms of expression.

Shannon Amos

Shannon Amos is Noel Mickelson and John Amos’ daughter. Born in 1966, she grew up surrounded by the different creative influences represented by her mother’s artistic abilities and her father’s entertainment career.

As an adult, Shannon built her own professional identity through writing and producing. She has worked within television and media while also exploring entrepreneurship and other projects connected with meaningful living and travel.

Shannon has continued remembering her mother and the lessons connected with her upbringing. Noel’s appreciation for creativity and nature became part of the influence she passed from one generation to another.

K.C. Amos

Kelly Christopher Amos, commonly known as K.C. Amos, was born in 1970. Like his sister, he followed a creative professional direction and became involved with film, television, directing, producing, and editing.

K.C. developed his own career behind the camera and worked on projects including The Watermelon Heist, Tamales and Gumbo, and Hauntsville. His professional path reflected the creative environment of his family.

He also continued remembering Noel affectionately after her death. Within the family, Noel was known by the nickname “Noni,” reflecting the personal identity she held beyond her connection with John Amos.

Noel J. Mickelson as a Mother

Motherhood became another important part of Noel’s story. She created a structured home for Shannon and K.C. while encouraging them to develop creativity, independence, and an appreciation for the world around them.

Her artistic abilities provided her children with an early example of creative expression. Both eventually chose professions centered around storytelling and creating things, although they developed their own individual careers and interests.

Noel also passed along her appreciation for nature and meaningful experiences. Her influence can be seen through the creative directions taken by Shannon and K.C. as they became adults and established professional careers.

Divorce from John Amos

After approximately ten years of marriage, Noel J. Mickelson and John Amos divorced in 1975. Their marriage had begun during their younger years and continued while they established a family and raised two children.

Following the separation, John’s acting career continued developing, while Noel moved further away from public attention. She maintained the private lifestyle that had already distinguished her from people seeking recognition through Hollywood connections.

Although their marriage ended, Noel and John remained permanently connected through Shannon and K.C. The children carried influences from both parents as they developed their own identities and eventually pursued careers in creative industries.

Life Away from the Spotlight

After her marriage ended, Noel continued living a largely private life. She did not attempt to turn her connection with a successful Hollywood actor into a public celebrity identity or entertainment career.

Instead, she remained associated with the interests that had shaped her earlier years. Art, craftsmanship, nature, horses, family, and independence represented important elements of the life she had built for herself.

This privacy also distinguished Noel from many celebrity spouses and former spouses. She became known to a wider audience because of John Amos, but public attention never became the central purpose of her life.

Noel J. Mickelson’s Final Years

During her later years, Noel remained closely connected with her family. Her life had moved through several important stages, from a rural childhood and art education to marriage, motherhood, creative work, and quieter later years.

Her family continued to recognize the creativity and strength that defined her personality. The artistic interests she had developed when young had also become part of the influence she passed to her children.

One particularly meaningful part of her later story concerned travel. Noel wished that she had been able to see more of the world, and that desire became especially significant to her daughter after Noel’s death.

Death and Final Wish

Noel J. Mickelson died in 2016 at the age of 72. Her death marked the end of a life shaped by creativity, independence, family relationships, craftsmanship, nature, and a strong affection for horses.

Near the end of her life, Noel expressed regret that she had not traveled and experienced more of the world. Her daughter Shannon responded by making a meaningful promise connected with that wish.

Beginning in January 2017, Shannon took her mother’s ashes on travels around the world. Through this personal journey, Noel’s desire to experience different places continued through the daughter whose creative life she had influenced.

Noel J. Mickelson’s Legacy

Noel’s legacy reaches beyond being John Amos’ first wife. She was an artist and craftswoman who valued making things, an equestrian who loved horses, and a woman who maintained an independent identity.

Her marriage also forms an interesting part of American social history because she and John married in 1965, before the 1967 Loving v. Virginia ruling removed remaining state bans on interracial marriage.

Perhaps her most personal legacy can be seen through Shannon and K.C. Amos. Both developed creative careers, carrying forward the appreciation for creativity and self-expression that had played such an important role in their mother’s life.

Final Thoughts

Noel J. Mickelson lived a life shaped by art, craftsmanship, horses, nature, and family. Although her marriage to John Amos brought her wider recognition, her individual story contained many interests beyond that relationship.

She studied fine arts, developed practical carpentry skills, enjoyed horseback riding, and raised two children who later established creative careers. She consistently preferred meaningful personal pursuits over seeking attention through her Hollywood connection.

Today, Noel is remembered through her family, her children’s work, and the story of a woman who followed her interests independently. Her creativity and influence remain meaningful parts of the Amos family story.

(FAQs)

Who was Noel J. Mickelson?

Noel J. Mickelson was an American artist, carpenter, and equestrian. She became widely known as the first wife of actor John Amos and was also the mother of Shannon Amos and K.C. Amos.

When did Noel J. Mickelson marry John Amos?

Noel J. Mickelson married John Amos in 1965 after the pair met during their college years at Colorado State University. Their marriage lasted around ten years before they divorced in 1975.

How many children did Noel J. Mickelson have?

Noel J. Mickelson had two children with John Amos. Their daughter, Shannon Amos, was born in 1966, while their son, Kelly Christopher “K.C.” Amos, was born in 1970.

What did Noel J. Mickelson do for a living?

Noel J. Mickelson was known for her creative and practical abilities. She studied fine arts and was associated with art, carpentry, craftsmanship, and equestrian activities throughout different periods of her life.

When did Noel J. Mickelson die?

Noel J. Mickelson died in 2016 at the age of 72. Her family continued honoring her memory, and daughter Shannon later traveled with her mother’s ashes to fulfill Noel’s wish to see the world.