Obituary: Jane Noland wrote 'bear books' to inspire those recovering from addiction

Expressing herself, whether in books or in song lyrics, came naturally to Jane Noland.

That ability translated itself into writing, editing or collaborating on more than a dozen books, many of them specializing in addiction treatment and recovery. She died Oct. 12 from complications related to lung cancer.

She was 87.

Noland was the author of what became known as "the bear books," a series of books that conveyed wisdom and perspective through parables and short sayings based on the lives of bears in northern Minnesota.

They included aphorisms such as "take long naps," "back down gracefully," "honor your forebears" and "bees happen."

Born in Minneapolis in 1927, she returned home after graduating from Smith College and worked as a cub reporter for what was then the Minneapolis Tribune. She eventually became a feature writer and a reviewer of children's books for the newspaper.

Her daughter, Mimi Noland, recalls making the trip to the newspaper to pick up boxes of new children's books.

Mimi illustrated the bear books "Bearables: Parables of Bear Wisdom for Everyday Living" and "Bear Up: Bear Ways to Cope With Life's Bumps and Surprises."

They would gather material about black bear behavior by talking to people around Duluth and Two Harbors.

Jane would do additional research and the pair would convert the stories into wisdoms that people could use, with James Thurber-like illustrations.

"When I drew the bears they started developing a life of their own. When I would draw them, we'd all end up just howling," Mimi said.

The bear books have been translated into several languages.

The Noland household in Wayzata was fascinated with words. Jane's husband, Dick, worked in various advertising agencies and eventually started his own firm, Richard F. Noland Advertising. He died in 2009.

"For her, writing was a very organic thing," Mimi said of her mother. "It just flowed. She would start writing and it would just come out. It wasn't a very difficult process. It seemed to really come naturally."

In the 1970s, Jane was senior editor for CompCare Publications, a Minnesota publishing house specializing in addiction and recovery books that often focused on children and young adults.

The 1994 book "Gamblers Anonymous: A Day at a Time" is generally considered one of the definitive books on treating gambling addiction. Originally attributed to an anonymous author, it is now credited to her.

She also wrote other books, including "What's So Funny About Getting Old?" and "Laugh It Off, The New Humor Strategy of Weight Loss."

The family often had music nights where local musicians would come to their house and perform. The influence remains. Both Mimi and her brother, Rick Noland, are musicians who have often performed together.

"There was a lot of music in the family," said Rick, a singer/guitarist who plays for seniors in extended care and has produced several albums of his music.

Services have been held.