Noel B. Peters

Noël Jeanne Beaulac Peters

Noël Jeanne Beaulac Peters died at home in Bowie, MD on February 12, 2026, after a long illness. She was 90 years old.

Noël will be remembered for her beauty, talent, and most of all her kindness.

Born December 21, 1935, in Washington, DC., Noël was the firstborn of Ambassador Willard L. Beaulac and Catherine H. “Caroll” Greene. She is survived by her sisters Joan Zachor of Lexington, MA and Ana Beaulac-Bonneau of Fort Worth, TX; and by her brother Lee Beaulac (Margaret Hinton) of Rochester, NY. Noël is also survived by her six children Chris, Rebecca, Tim, Theresa, Nico and Katie Peters; four grandchildren Gustavo, Max, Emily and Charlie; nieces and nephews Nancy, Andrea, Justin, Shaun, Emily and Elizabeth; as well as seven great nieces and nephews.

Noël was raised mostly in South America and Cuba, where her father was a career ambassador. In1953, she graduated from Ruston Academy in Havana. She attended Brown University, graduating with a BA in Spanish Literature in 1958. She married and moved to the Washington, DC area where she had four children in rapid succession. In 1965, the family moved to Latin America for the next 20 years; first in Panama, then settling in Costa Rica. After some very trying years in a small apartment, the family moved to a large property with more breathing room. Those years were better, but still hard. As always, Noël tried to make the best of things. She nurtured a greenhouse full of orchids and managed a menagerie of animals. She was always ready with a hug and a snack after school.

A devout Catholic, she remained in a bad marriage until a kind priest encouraged her to leave. In 1985, she fled to Maryland with her youngest child, starting over at age fifty. Noël struggled to make ends meet, but once she got a car, she rarely missed a weekend visit to her parents in Washington, DC. She found work as a special education assistant for the public school system, where she worked with some wonderful people. Unfortunately, she developed lung disease and had to retire in 1999.

Her health stabilized and she thrived in retirement. She adopted a succession of dogs and earned her Master Gardener certificate from the University of Maryland. She visited her kids and grandkids and delighted in visits with her nieces and their children.

Noël spent her last years at home with her daughter Theresa who arranged her medical appointments, kept up the home and garden and lifted her mother’s spirits in the face of creeping age and disability. They were grateful for their friends and neighbors, who were always there to lend a supportive ear, assist with a car problem or help get Noël up after a fall. At the end, Noël spent more and more time in the hospital, becoming a little weaker with each stay. Despite it all, she remained remarkably good-humored, and handled discomfort with grace.

Noël was a loving soul, a dutiful daughter, an adoring mother and grandmother, a good neighbor, a faithful friend, a beloved sister and aunt, a good-natured mother-in- law, and a talented musician who loved her dogs like nothing else. She was often naive, but survived remarkably challenging circumstances. She persisted in finding the good, even when things felt untenable.

In addition to her parents, Noël was predeceased by nephews Albert and Matthew McChristy; by her beloved Dulce, Daisy, and Lily, and by several grand-dogs, who she was always happy to babysit – even on short notice.

The family would especially like to thank Bowie Volunteer Fire Dept; the staff at Anne Arundel and Doctor’s Community Medical Centers; Noël’s pulmonology providers, NP Elisse Gray and Dr. Ira Weinstein; and her neurologist Dr. Karl Maki. And a huge thank you to Drs. Karen Bledsoe and Kevin Ford, and their team at Ford Medical Associates for their compassionate care over the last 3 decades.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a tax-deductible donation to Friends of Transitions Guatemala, an organization close to Noël’s heart that provides wheelchairs for poor people with disabilities across Central America: https://transicionesguatemala.org/donate/.

Service Schedule

Friday, May 29, 2026

Sacred Heart Chapel

16501 Annapolis Rd

Bowie, MD 20715

Visitation

11 AM – 12PM

Mass

12 PM

Repast

Following Mass