Noel J. Mickelson was an artist, graphic designer, social worker, and experienced equestrian. She is also remembered as John Amos’ first wife and the mother of their two children, Shannon and K.C. Amos.
Her children have preserved many of the details now known about her art education, professional background, endurance riding, and later life.
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Education | Studied art at Colorado State University |
| Work | Social worker, artist and graphic designer |
| Equestrian activity | Participated in endurance riding |
| First spouse | John Amos |
| Children | Shannon Amos and K.C. Amos |
| Later spouse | Christopher Mahlon Wagner |
Art Studies, Social Work and Graphic Design
Noel studied art at Colorado State University, where she met John Amos while he attended the university and played football. Public accounts do not establish whether she completed a particular degree.
After marrying in 1965, Noel and John moved to New Jersey and worked as social workers. The organizations that employed them and how long they worked there have not been publicly documented.
John later described Noel as an artist who understood his discomfort with a conventional nine-to-five routine. Her own creative outlook helped her understand his desire to pursue a different professional direction.
According to their son, K.C., Noel later worked as a graphic designer and drew on the art education she had received at Colorado State. Although no publicly documented portfolio or individual design projects have emerged, his account connects her professional work directly to her artistic training.
Marriage to John Amos and Their Two Children
Noel and John married in 1965 and had two children. Their daughter, Shannon Amos, was born in New Jersey in 1966, followed by their son, K.C. Amos, in 1970.
The marriage began two years before the Supreme Court’s 1967 decision in Loving v. Virginia invalidated the remaining state bans on interracial marriage. That legal background provides context for when Noel and John formed their family, although it does not establish that their wedding was unlawful where it occurred.
Shannon has said that she did not view her parents primarily through their different racial backgrounds as a child. She understood them as her parents and experienced their relationship through the love they gave her.
The family eventually moved from New Jersey to the Los Angeles area. Noel and John raised Shannon and K.C. on a property in Sylmar before their marriage ended in divorce in 1975.
Horses Shaped the Family’s Life in California
Horses were a lasting part of Noel’s life, not a passing interest. Reputable profiles, including an institutional account from California State University, Northridge, identify her as an equestrian.
The family’s Sylmar property allowed Noel to keep horses close to home while raising her children. K.C. later described his mother as an exceptional endurance rider and recalled that she received numerous riding awards.
No official competition record supporting claims about a world ranking has been identified. However, consistent accounts from her family and published profiles support describing Noel as an experienced endurance rider.
Family photographs shared by her children also show how closely horses were connected to their memories of Noel and their childhood in California.
Her Second Marriage and Life After 1996
Noel later married Christopher Mahlon Wagner. His 2005 obituary identified Noel as his wife and listed Shannon and K.C. Amos as his stepchildren, although the date of their marriage has not been publicly established.
According to Shannon, Noel experienced severe complications during a hysterectomy in 1996 that left her blind and quadriplegic. She was living with Wagner on a California ranch at the time.
Shannon said Wagner cared for Noel after the operation. He continued supporting her until his death on October 14, 2005.
Noel lived for more than a decade after Wagner’s death. Her children have confirmed that she died in 2016, but the strongest publicly available sources have not established the precise date and cause of her death.
How Shannon and K.C. Amos Remember Their Mother
Much of the personal information available about Noel comes from the memories shared by Shannon and K.C. Amos. K.C. has highlighted her artistic training, graphic-design work, and accomplishments with horses.
Shannon’s recollections focus more closely on Noel’s influence as a mother. In a February 2024 post, she remembered how Noel encouraged her to experience grief openly instead of hiding it. Shannon later reflected on missing the comfort and emotional space her mother had provided.
Together, these accounts present Noel J. Mickelson as more than John Amos’ first wife. She built a life involving art, social work, graphic design, and endurance riding while raising two children whose memories preserve the clearest public record of her work, interests, and influence.