My dad's dad, Charles Hall (yep, I am named after him) passed away today. His obit is included... more memorial stuff to follow.

Here's a quote he loved: "It's the little things that bother us, And put us on the rack; You can sit upon a mountain, But you can't sit on a tack."

OBITUARY

Charles Robert Hall, 92, 91 Tree Farm Road Horner passed away at 3:20 p.m. on Saturday, January 13, 2007 in United Hospital Center of Clarksburg following an extended illness. He was born on Kincheloe in Harrison County on August 3, 1914: son of the late Addison Floyd and Emma B. Hall. On July 3, 1941, he married Helen Marie (Howell) Hall, who survives.

Also surviving are one daughter Carola Stephens and special friend Bob Leonard of Martinsburg and two sons David Hall and wife Faye of Glen Rock, PA and Dana Hall and wife Donna of Clarksburg. Mr. Hall is also survived by eight grandchildren Douglas, Cassandra, Justin, Crystal, Candace, Allen, Lyndon, and Abigail and one great grandchild Aaliyah. He is also survived by one sister Helen Marie McCoy of Arizona and several nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by one infant daughter, five sisters Gertrude Beall, Evelyn Taylor, Emma Jean Benbow, Ava Hall, and Bertha Miller and two brothers William “Bill” Hall and James Hall.

Mr. Hall graduated from Weston High School in 1933 and graduated from West Virginia University in 1939 from the “first ever” forestry class. He was a veteran of World War II serving in the United States Navy, where he received the WW II Victory Ribbon and the Asiatic-Pacific Area Campaign Ribbon. Mr. Hall retired from the United States Naval Reserves as a lieutenant.

After WW II, he joined the West Virginia Conservation Commission as District Forest Protector in Ripley in 1948. In 1950, Mr. Hall was transferred to Buckhannon/French Creek as District Forester. In 1977, He was promoted to West Virginia Assistant Forester, where he retired in 1979 with 31 years of service. In 1950 Charles and Helen Hall purchased the “How Come” Christmas Tree Farm, where he continued to farm until his death.

In his early career, Charles was fortunate to meet and work with Norman Borlaug, 1970 Noble Peace Prize Winner. Mr. Hall was a devoted member of the Valley Chapel United Methodist Church and then the Stone Coal United Methodist Church, where he was a licensed lay speaker and taught Sunday school faithfully. He was a volunteer leader with Lewis County 4-H programs and a local and state PTA leader. Charles was a long time member of the West Virginia Farm Bureau, chosen for Distinguished Service in 2003, served with Tygart Valley R.C. and D. District and was inducted in the Forestry Hall of Fame in 2000. He was a charter board member of the Lewis County Park. And in 2006, he was chosen the Lewis County Citizen of the Year.

Friends will be received at the Hardman-Paletti Funeral Home 730 N. Main Avenue Weston on Tuesday, January 16, 2007 from 2-4 & 6-8 p.m. Funeral services will be held on Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. from the Hardman-Paletti Funeral Home chapel with Reverend Carolyn Nettles and Reverend Veryl Simmons officiating. Interment will follow in the Pleasant Hill Cemetery on Kincheloe in Harrison County.

Hardman-Paletti Funeral Home of Weston is in charge of arrangements for Charles Robert Hall. In lieu of flowers, please send gifts to Stone Coal United Methodist Church, in care of Carolyn Nettles, Pastor at 303 Main Avenue, Weston, WV 26452 or Louis Bennett Public Library, 148 Court Avenue, Weston, WV 26452.

Posted by Justin Hall at 03:20 PM | Permalink

A couple of friends and I kayaked over to Spring Bayou and watched the Epiphany cross dive. News story is included.

TARPON SPRINGS - There it was, hanging suspended near the surface, just like in their dream. Michael Xipolitas' eyes were wide in disbelief when he lifted up his arm and had the Epiphany cross in his grasp. "I dreamed about it when I was in the hospital," said his mother, Helen, who has been in and out of the hospital getting treatment for leukemia. "My son had the same dream."

Xipolitas was in a haze when he emerged from Spring Bayou on Saturday during the 101st Epiphany celebration.

As he kneeled before His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios to receive the special blessing, he was shaking, tears streaming down his wet cheeks. "It feels better than I imagined," said Xipolitas, 18, of Tarpon Springs, who was one of 52 divers vying for the coveted cross.

Epiphany is an ancient Greek Orthodox ceremony commemorating Christ's baptism in the Jordan River. The first one to retrieve the cross receives a blessing.

"It's like beginning a new life," Xipolitas said to a crowd back inside St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Cathedral.

The boys were still dripping with the waters of Spring Bayou, which Tarpon Springs police estimated was a balmy 75 degrees.

"I have never seen the water this warm," said Manuel Gombos, who has been organizing Epiphany for more than three decades.

Last year, nearly 55,000 people gathered to celebrate the centennial Epiphany. They huddled under blankets and wool hats to stay warm.

The water was even colder in 2005, when five divers had to be treated for respiratory problems, said Donald Sayre of Tarpon Springs Fire Rescue.

But on Saturday, the morning air hung hot, steaming people who lined the downtown streets, gathered on the grass and clustered around the cathedral.

Humidity was so heavy that the choir robes and police uniforms drooped, everyone's forehead beaded with sweat.

"Our theme this year was to bring it back to the community," Gombos said.

This year's celebration drew about 20,000 onlookers, police said.

* * *

Earlier in the morning, twin brothers Mike and Chris Kavouklis, 17, stood on the platform assessing the conditions of the bayou, nervous and clenching their fists.

For their second dive, both had revised strategies.

"I'm a little more confident because I know what to expect," said Chris, who planned to keep his head underwater and his eyes open.

"I got over there really quick, but I couldn't hold my breath," he said.

Mike was intent on getting a faster start and selecting a better dinghy, because he was in one that was overloaded and sank last year.

"I was a little fazed last year. I was soaking up the moment and didn't get a good jump," he said.

Both boys laughed at their cousin Mark Garcia, 16, a first-time diver who woke up early to do practice laps in their grandmother's pool.

Posted by Justin Hall at 05:56 PM | Permalink