On November 18, Thomas and Margaret Nobis will celebrate their fiftieth wedding anniversary. The couple met through their parents who breed Aberdeen Angus from Scotland in common. Mr. Thomas Nobis's parents were Otto G. Nobis and Willa (Schmidt) Nobis. His grandfather started the breeding of Aberdeen Angus when he settled in this area from Germany. Their farm was in the west end of Davenport on a bluff. The farm was called White Pillars and it was situated on an early Indian burial ground.
Classical music had always been a part of Mrs. Nobis's formative years. Her mother and grandmother was pianist and the love of music was a natural part of her life. Her mother was of Italian and German descent and her father was Welsh and French. Her celebrated operatic career expanded for many years. Her last performance was with the Quad City Symphony Orchestra in 1988.
In 1946 after graduating from Cornell University majoring in engineering, the Central Engineering Co. came into existence. It had many changes over the years. First the Central Engineering Co. was dissolved and a new Company was formed, the Central Valley Co., by joining the Valley Construction Co. which is located in Rock Island, Illinois. Later the name was changed back to the Valley Construction Co. Mr. Nobis is now Senior Vice-President of Valley Construction Co.
Mr. & Mrs. Nobis have been very generous of time and talent to many organizations over the last fifty years. There efforts have been focused on children causes perhaps due to their daughter Jennifer (Nobis) Figge and grandson, Alexander Figge. Mr. Nobis has been on the boards of the Davenport Levee Improvement. Jennifer remembers going to concerts at the levee band shell during her years of growing up. Mr. Nobis was the Davenport School District president during the time that Jennifer attended McKinley School.
Mr. Nobis also was on the Association of Contractors of Iowa and Illinois and Mrs. Nobis has an interest in horticulture, which is evident in her green house and rose garden.
They recognize the work that non - profits are doing to assure the welfare of children in our community. Arrowhead Ranch, Inc., Bethany Home for Children & Families, Big Brother/Big Sisters of the Quad Cities, Boys and Girls Clubs of the Mississippi Valley, Child Abuse Council, Junior Achievement, St. Katharine's/St. Mark Preparatory School and Valley Shelter were assisted by them for many years and through their funds the organizations will continue to receive funds to continue their works.
Other organizations that received support due to their excellent service to assist local residents are American Red Cross, Quad Cities Chapter, Fairmount Cemetery, Greenway Habitat Projects, Humane Society of Scott County, Meal Service of Scott County, Oakdale Memorial Garden, Putnam Museum, Salvation Army, Davenport, Iowa, United Way of the Quad City Area and Visiting Nurse Association.
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