Remembering Dominique Noth

February 19, 1942 – June 26, 2026

Hello, Friends. This is Dom Noth’s son, Paul.

After a month-long hospitalization battling advanced COPD and heart failure, our dad passed away peacefully, surrounded by his family. He remained as mentally sharp as ever up to the end, and he expressed gratitude for the chance to say his personal goodbyes to close friends and family members.

I expressed my own gratitude to him for starting this Substack last year, which will serve as a beautiful archive and a sort of memoir for his remarkable life. I asked him if I could use this space to publish highlights from his long journalistic career as well as some of his unpublished work. He gladly agreed, but true to form, he reminded me to take my job as editor seriously and cut whatever wasn’t up to standard.

To honor his legacy, we have established the Dominique Paul Noth Memorial Fund in support of the arts, civic life, and community.

We will be celebrating Dad at 2 p.m. on Sunday, August 2, at Turner Hall in Milwaukee, starting with a gathering and reception, followed by a memorial tribute at 4 p.m.

Beautiful remembrances and tributes have appeared in Urban Milwaukee, The Shepherd Express, and The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. And I’ve attached my own short obituary for him below.

Dominique Paul Noth

February 19, 1942 – June 26, 2026

Dominique Paul Noth, beloved husband, father, and grandfather, passed away on June 26, 2026, at the age of 84. He was the devoted husband of Martha Louise Noth, the proud father of nine children, and the grandfather of twelve. He served Milwaukee as a dedicated journalist and arts critic for over sixty years.

He was born in New York City to a family of newly arrived Holocaust refugees. He later attended Marquette University, where he found a passion for the stage as an actor and director for the university’s influential Teatro Maria.

In the late 1960s, his work began appearing regularly in The Milwaukee Journal. Over the next four decades, he became one of Wisconsin’s most respected film and drama critics, eventually serving as the paper’s arts editor and senior features editor. He was a founding figure of the American Theater Critics Association.

In the 1970s and 1980s, he also shared his love for cinema by teaching a popular course on film at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM). Throughout his distinguished career as a critic, editor, and educator, Dominique interviewed major figures in film and theater, including Alfred Hitchcock, Frank Capra, Cary Grant, Bob Fosse, Steven Spielberg, Liza Minelli, Ron Howard and Rita Moreno.

With Cary Grant

From 2002 to 2013, he served as editor-in-chief of The Milwaukee Labor Press, where he reported extensively on labor and cultural issues, while also operating as the publication’s photographer, field reporter, and layout editor.

In 2012, he became the theater and culture critic for Urban Milwaukee, where his insightful reviews appeared regularly until just last month. Over the decades, his writing and criticism earned numerous honors, including multiple gold medals from The Milwaukee Press Club for Best Critic.

While many credit his nurturing attention with the growth and flourishing of the Milwaukee arts scene, he believed his most meaningful contribution was as a husband, father and grandfather. His dedication to the arts, community, and public service lives on in the many family members now grieving his loss.

He was preceded in death by his mother, Elena Fels-Noth; his brothers, Pierre and Jean Noth; and his daughter-in-law, Parnell Noth.

He is survived by his loving wife, Martha Louise Noth, and his children: Jeannie (Jim) Gaffigan; Felicia (David Skurnick) Noth; Paul Noth; Vincent (Jessica) Noth; Danielle Noth; Patrick Noth (Emilea Wilson-Noth); Maria Noth (Jason Michalski); Michelle (Aaron) McCready; and Elizabeth Noth (Rudy Behrens).

He is also survived by his sister, Malou Noth, and his twelve cherished grandchildren: Marre, Jack, Katie, Michael, Patrick, Isaiah, Asher, Maxine, Aiden, Lily, Mason, and Ozzie.

A celebration of life for Dominique Paul Noth will begin at 2 p.m. on Sunday, August 2, at Turner Hall in Milwaukee, with a gathering and reception followed by a memorial tribute at 4 p.m.

In lieu of flowers or Subscriptions to this Substack, please donate to the Dominique Paul Noth Memorial Fund in support of the arts, civic life, and community.