Obituary for John Hall
William “John” Hall
April 30, 1939 – April 11, 2023
It is with profound sorrow that we announce the passing of John Hall on Tuesday, April 11, 2023, at the age of 83 following a brief illness.
John will be lovingly remembered by Carolynne, the love of his life and wife of 62 years. Also left to mourn are his children, Kelly (Dan) Fichter, Shannon (Andy) Potter and Shawn (Shauna) Hall and his troop of cherished grandchildren, Colin (Caitlin) Smith, Chloe and Evan Fichter, Jackson and Thomas Potter and Oliver Hall. John was predeceased by his beautiful granddaughter, Clara Hall as well as his parents Clark and Laura Hall and his sister, Charlotte Firth.
Born in southern Ontario to a hard-working farming family, John first discovered his interest in and innate talent for wood working and he grew up to become a thoughtful, clever and resourceful man filled with optimism and a thirst for adventure. At 17 years of age after a short stint in the armed forces, he began his life of adventure by hitchhiking to the west coast. There he found work in the forestry industry which led him to two of his great passions, Carolynne and cedar trees/west coast art.
After their wedding on June 17, 1961, John and Carolynne moved to Calgary where John found steady work on the oil rigs. Once the kids started coming, John took a job at IKO Industries so he could be home every night. While advancing to plant manager at IKO, he was moonlighting and developing skills that would bring him success in the construction business he founded in 1978. He took great pride in every project, loved his customers and enjoyed mentoring and apprenticing his employees.
John loved to travel and he and Carolynne had many wonderful trips, always bringing home interesting things and delightful stories. In later years they spent a lot of time and made new friends in the Arizona desert with his brother Frank and sister-in-law Karen. He had a great sense of humour and was always up to some harmless mischief - his grandchildren will never forget the “magic tree” at the lake where each of them could always find a fistful of amethysts on their arrival.
In 1973 when John and Carolynne barely had “2 nickels to rub together” they bought a plot of land at Gull Lake. Over the next few years, John prowled auctions and scrounged the necessary materials to single-handedly build the beautiful place where many happy memories were made and where Dad spent endless contented hours in his carving shed creating amazing works of art.
In 2006, John built a new house in Parkhill and here he made many new friends among the dog walking crowd as “Pablo’s Dad” and neighbors who stopped to chat while he worked in his sunny south-facing shop and where something interesting was always going on. John was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2001, which he confronted with unending optimism, his zest for life and focused determination.
There was never a problem John could not solve and he was always there to lend a hand or, if asked, offer advice. He had prodigious physical strength that was matched only by the strength of his character and the depth of his integrity. He was our lodestar and he will be deeply missed.
In lieu of flowers, in appreciation of Dr. Ruether and his team at TBCC, a donation can be made if friends and family so desire to the Alberta Cancer Foundation .
At John’s request there will be no funeral, but we invite friends and family to join us for a celebration of John’s life on May 16, 2023 at The Lakehouse in Bonavista (747 Lake Bonavista Dr SE, Calgary, AB T2J 2M2) from 1:00 – 4:00 PM. Flowers are declined with gratitude.
To view and share photos, condolences and stories of John please visit www.choicememorial.com. Arrangements entrusted to the care of Choice Memorial Cremation & Funeral Services (403) 277-7343.
April 30, 1939 – April 11, 2023
It is with profound sorrow that we announce the passing of John Hall on Tuesday, April 11, 2023, at the age of 83 following a brief illness.
John will be lovingly remembered by Carolynne, the love of his life and wife of 62 years. Also left to mourn are his children, Kelly (Dan) Fichter, Shannon (Andy) Potter and Shawn (Shauna) Hall and his troop of cherished grandchildren, Colin (Caitlin) Smith, Chloe and Evan Fichter, Jackson and Thomas Potter and Oliver Hall. John was predeceased by his beautiful granddaughter, Clara Hall as well as his parents Clark and Laura Hall and his sister, Charlotte Firth.
Born in southern Ontario to a hard-working farming family, John first discovered his interest in and innate talent for wood working and he grew up to become a thoughtful, clever and resourceful man filled with optimism and a thirst for adventure. At 17 years of age after a short stint in the armed forces, he began his life of adventure by hitchhiking to the west coast. There he found work in the forestry industry which led him to two of his great passions, Carolynne and cedar trees/west coast art.
After their wedding on June 17, 1961, John and Carolynne moved to Calgary where John found steady work on the oil rigs. Once the kids started coming, John took a job at IKO Industries so he could be home every night. While advancing to plant manager at IKO, he was moonlighting and developing skills that would bring him success in the construction business he founded in 1978. He took great pride in every project, loved his customers and enjoyed mentoring and apprenticing his employees.
John loved to travel and he and Carolynne had many wonderful trips, always bringing home interesting things and delightful stories. In later years they spent a lot of time and made new friends in the Arizona desert with his brother Frank and sister-in-law Karen. He had a great sense of humour and was always up to some harmless mischief - his grandchildren will never forget the “magic tree” at the lake where each of them could always find a fistful of amethysts on their arrival.
In 1973 when John and Carolynne barely had “2 nickels to rub together” they bought a plot of land at Gull Lake. Over the next few years, John prowled auctions and scrounged the necessary materials to single-handedly build the beautiful place where many happy memories were made and where Dad spent endless contented hours in his carving shed creating amazing works of art.
In 2006, John built a new house in Parkhill and here he made many new friends among the dog walking crowd as “Pablo’s Dad” and neighbors who stopped to chat while he worked in his sunny south-facing shop and where something interesting was always going on. John was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2001, which he confronted with unending optimism, his zest for life and focused determination.
There was never a problem John could not solve and he was always there to lend a hand or, if asked, offer advice. He had prodigious physical strength that was matched only by the strength of his character and the depth of his integrity. He was our lodestar and he will be deeply missed.
In lieu of flowers, in appreciation of Dr. Ruether and his team at TBCC, a donation can be made if friends and family so desire to the Alberta Cancer Foundation .
At John’s request there will be no funeral, but we invite friends and family to join us for a celebration of John’s life on May 16, 2023 at The Lakehouse in Bonavista (747 Lake Bonavista Dr SE, Calgary, AB T2J 2M2) from 1:00 – 4:00 PM. Flowers are declined with gratitude.
To view and share photos, condolences and stories of John please visit www.choicememorial.com. Arrangements entrusted to the care of Choice Memorial Cremation & Funeral Services (403) 277-7343.