Patricia Merbreier, better known to scores of Philadelphia's now-grown children as Mrs. Noah, died Thursday night after a long illness. She was 86.
Merbreier entered Delaware Valley homes on Channel 6, alongside her husband W. Carter Merbreier, a/k/a Captain Noah, on "Captain Noah and His Magical Ark." About 3,600 shows aired between 1967 and 1994.
While Carter wore the captain's hat, it was Patricia who operated the puppets, like Mumwah the Monster.
There also were occasional celebrity cameos, such as Elvis Presley and Charles Barkley. The Phillie Phanatic made his public debut on the show in 1978 as a guest of then-catcher Tim McCarver.
