Remembering Dominique Paul Noth

Hello friends,

You may have noticed that I have taken a short hiatus from Noth Things. This is because my father Dom Noth, was severely ill for the past two months. He passed away peacefully on Friday night, surrounded by his family. True to form, he remained as mentally sharp as ever, and he expressed gratitude for the chance to say his personal goodbyes to close friends and family members.

I was very close to my dad, and I am profoundly grateful that I was able to spend that time with him. I am also grateful that he started his own Substack about a year ago, which will now serve as a memoir of his remarkable life. I only wish he had had the time to write more entries. I intend to post some of the highlights of his long journalistic career on his Substack in the coming weeks.

Memorial tributes will run later this week in his two journalistic homes—the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and Urban Milwaukee. In the meantime, I wanted to share a short obituary I wrote 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.

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, please donate to the Dominique Paul Noth Memorial Fund in support of the arts, civic life, and community.

Noth Things will be back next week with our regularly scheduled cartoon content.