Thursday, June 28, 2012

Joseph Normal hall



Well it seems as if all the pieces are in order and we are ready for the service tomorrow.  Highs and lows, and emotions all over the place for sure, but the Lord has been faithful.  My husband has been asked to deliver a 2 - 3 minute eulogy during the service tomorrow.  At this particular church during the service this is all that is allowed.  Not much time to give the essence of a man such as this, but at the reception following many more will speak.  Jeff and I sat down last night and wrote this out.  It really does sum him up pretty well.


It is my privilege this morning to talk just a little bit about the essence of Joseph Hall.

Joe was one of the most upbeat and positive men I have ever known. If you just met Joe for the first time, you quickly found that out, and if you had known him for a while like I have, then it was probably one of the things you admired most about him. I know I did. Joe had a zest and joy for life that was contagious, and just made you want to be around him. He loved people, and you could always find him chatting and talking with someone, no matter where he was, or what he was doing. Joe was a great example of a man who loved his wife. In Ephesians 5:25 we are told, “Husbands love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her.” Joe’s love for his wife Greta was a sacrificial one, as there really wasn’t much he wouldn’t do for her. Greta was blessed by this kind of love every day of their marriage.

Joe loved his daughters; his inherited six other children, and his MANY grandchildren and great grandchildren. A big portion of his life centered on all of them, and they too all felt his love and devotion.

Joe also loved his computer time, golf, bowling, and playing cards, and enjoyed all of these things whenever he got the chance. But most of all Joe loved the Lord. I read a book awhile back called, “Finishing Strong.” It was about the lives of some of the men in the Bible. Some of them lived out their faith and finished strong, while others of them did not. Joe was DEFINITELY a man who finished strong. He lived his faith out every day. He knew who He belonged to, and he was ready. It is a comfort to know that Joe lives with Jesus now, and we will all see him again someday when our time comes. Joe could say like Timothy in second Timothy 4:7 “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”

I was asked to write a brief biography that will be in the memorandum that will be passed out upon arriving at the church....again, not easy to do in 400 words or less, but here it is....


Joseph Norman Hall was born on Nov. 25, 1924 in Buffalo, NY to Gertrude and John Hall.  He had two older sisters Edna and Peggy, and later Jack and Trudy were born. When Joseph was 8 years old, his family moved back to England where his parents were originally from, and they lived in Wigan, Lancashire.  They lived in Wigan for 6 years and then moved to Whetsone, which was a northern suburb of London, and later they moved to North Finchley.  When WW. II began in 1939, the family moved back to Wigan to get away from the bombing that was going on.   In February of 1943 when he was 18 years, he went to the American Embassy in Manchester to join the US Army.  He did basic training in Litchfield, England, and then was assigned to the 862nd Heavy Automotive Maintenance Company.  His memories of Normandy Beach were vivid, and haunted him the rest of his life.  When the war finally ended he was shipped back to Fort Dix in New Jersey and was discharged.  He moved back to Buffalo, NY, and later met Dorothy Gifford Meyers and married her.  Together they had two daughters, Barbara and Patty.    Joe got his pilot's license and was an instructor for 30 years.  During that time he also worked in the aerospace industry for Northrop.  After Joe retired from Northrop, he began working in the Real Estate Industry.  Joe met Greta and married her on June 1, 1985.  He then became father to her six children, Diane, Debbie, David, Danae, Dean and Donna.  Together they were blessed with 19 grandchildren; Joseph, John, Michelle, James, Kyle, Crystal, Danny, Melody, Ian, Jessica, Anthony, Robert, Justin, Nathan, Tabitha, Katie, Blake, Sarah and Dean, and 13 great grandchildren; Evan, Annabel, Lindsey, Katelyn, Jackie, Jeff, Capri, Stone, JD, Cody, Donatella, Priscilla, Samuel and Jacob.  Joe and Greta lived in Huntington Beach for the last several years and enjoyed spending time with their family and friends.  They enjoyed traveling, dancing, and playing cards.  Joe spent many hours designing websites. He continued to grow in knowledge with his computer skills, and loved to spend time online.  Joe, who was loved by all who knew him, lived a full and happy life and went home to be with the Lord on June 16, 2012.  We will all miss him. 


And finally, I was asked to put together a slide show of Joe's ENTIRE family, which is incredible!  Between my mom and he they have 8 children, 6 children-in-laws, 19 grandchildren, and 14 great grandchildren.  This was not an easy task, haha, and I have been working on it for a couple of days.  It is LONG and is really probably only interesting to our family, but you are welcome to look at it if you would like.  I have posted all of this here more as information that will be recorded in my book of this year as a keepsake for my children and grandchildren, and there is family who will not be able to make it to the service who can view this here.  We will play this on a big screen at the reception.



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My fonts are all over the place on this, I am sure because I have copied and pasted this together.  But you get the idea.  I thank each and every one of you who has held my family and particularly my mom in prayer.  I appreciate it more than you could know.  My poor mom.  If she were in better health this would still be difficult for her, but in her present state, it is soo overwhelming for her.  My heart just breaks for her.  I am soo glad we serve a God who sees all of our tears and cares for us.

14 comments:

  1. Debbie, What a wonderful tribute to your step dad. I know that many eyes will be filled with tears but I pray that the sweet presence of the Lord will be upon all who are there. Praying for your mom especially but also for you and your man. Sending love to you and yours today.
    Noreen

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  2. What a beautiful tribute to your step-dad! I love the photos and the music you choose. That must have been a lot of work. But I'm sure it was done with such love. I'm thinking of you during this challenging time and praying for you.

    Blessings and love,
    Debbie

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  3. What a wonderful testimony he left! They say that we write our own eulogies every day of our lives. Clearly, he did.

    Continuing to lift everyone for travel graces, and the family His peace and comfort.

    And now, if you don't mind, I would like to click the slide show and see it.

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  4. Well, the smile box turns but I can't get it to load. I'll have to try again later.

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  5. Oh Debbie...what an awesome job you have done...how honoring!!
    Hugs and prayers with you as you continue this journey!!

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  6. Such a beautiful and moving post to read. Thank you for sharing. I'm continuing to pray for you and your mother and family. Hope all continues to go well with the service and getting your mother settled.

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  7. Oh Debbie,

    You're doing such a great job during this difficult time. I am so sorry to hear of Joe's passing. May God's mighty arms comfort you all, and bring peace to your hearts. I will be praying for all of you, sweetie.
    May God bless you and keep you, and fill your soul with gentle blessings.
    Hugs and love,
    Becky

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  8. What a nice tribute to your Step Dad! I will be thinking of you tomorrow, and say a special prayer for your dear Mom.
    Hugs,
    Kris

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  9. You did a great job with the photo tribute Debbie, all I could think of when I viewed it was what a wonderful tapestry of lives he left behind, praying that your mom will find comfort and peace as God sustains her in the days to come

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  10. Oh Debbie you did a wonderful job! What a wonderful tribute to this lovely man.
    Thank you so much for sharing. I hope now you can rest for awhile and hold all of your babies. That always makes me feel so much better.
    I am praying for you.

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  11. What a beautiful tribute. I've been praying this morning for you and your family. This is such a sad time, but I know that the Lord is with you and will wipe your tears. It's my prayer that with time, you all (especially your mom) will find comfort in your memories.

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  12. A beautiful tribute to a fine man, and what a beautiful family, you and your family have been in my thoughts and prayers.
    Blessings,
    Sue

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  13. thanks for sharing...im passing by to all friends to invited you to share my blog hop hope its a nice opportunity to share with others ...thanks if you do...loves soraya

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  14. You did a lovely job with the written tributes and the photo tribute. One certainly gets the sense of the man and how much he loved your mother and how much he adopted her family as his own. That speaks volumes of the kind of man he was. You were all blessed to have had him in your lives and he was blessed to have you.

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I am so glad that you would take the time to comment on my thoughts and feelings, it is such a blessing to me!