William “George” Hall

George Hall, age 99, born on May 10, 1917 in London, England to William John Hall and Harriet Rose (Cockman) Hall, passed away peacefully in the presence of family on Sunday, February 19, 2017 at Shawnee Mission Medical Center. George is survived by his loving wife Mary Lou and his three children Wayne (Suzanne) of Casa Grande, AZ, Rick (Louise) of Orange, CA, and Lorraine Voelker (Dennis) of Spruce Pine, NC and Mary Lou’s daughter Janelle Kiefer (Darren) of Frankfort, IL as well as 15 grandchildren, 25 great-grandchildren and 1 great-great grandchild.

George was only a small child when his father passed away as a result of a lingering illness contracted during World War I in the trenches of France. In   1920, George and his mother immigrated to Canada where she wed Frank Hooper.  Harriet and Frank had 4 children, Gertrude, Margaret, Fred, and Winnifed (all deceased).  He began his career as a machinist apprentice on the Canadian National Railroad where his step-father was the Chief Steward.  In 1940, he married his beloved wife, Edith.  George entered service in the Royal Canadian Navy in 1944 and was honorably discharged in 1946.  Edith and George had 2 sons, Wayne and Rick, and immigrated to southern California in 1949 in hope of better prosperity for their growing family.  Lorraine was born in 1952.

George was a very industrious man and parlayed his intellect and hard work from his first job as a machinist for Western Airlines to ultimately becoming the Chief Industrial Engineer for a large ITT plant.  He retired in 1982.  Edith and George moved to Shawnee, KS in 1995, where Edith passed away in 2001 after 61 years of marriage.  George and Mary Lou married on November 1, 2003.

George was very proud of his family, his independence and his cars.  His hobbies included his large miniature train set, his pool table and his Lowrey organ.  He and Mary also enjoyed Brunch Bunch with their friends.

A memorial service will be held at Shawnee Presbyterian Church located at 6837 Nieman Rd, Shawnee, KS 66203.  The service time will be Saturday, February 25th at 10:00 am.