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His Life

Bill Hall Life Story

June 15, 2014

 

William “Bill” Hall Jr. was born on May 29, 1923.  He was the first of four children for Esther and William Martin Hall.  They lived in a small Midwestern lakefront town called Muskegon, Michigan.

As a young boy Bill joined in the family passion for boating.  He became the proud owner of his first sailboat when he was just a teenager.  Throughout Bill’s life gliding over the water with the wind filling his sails remained his idea of heaven on earth. When the country went to war, 19 year old Michigan State University student William Hall Jr. enlisted in the Navy.  He served for almost three years and was honorably discharged in March of 1946, disembarking at San Francisco, California.  The arts, sights and beauty of the Bay Area were to leave a deep impression on the young sailor as he headed back to his home and family in Muskegon, Michigan.  Again at Michigan State University Bill founded the school’s first Sailing Club.  He finished his Michigan State University degree and then began working and learning the ropes at his Father’s electrical supply company.

Bill loved and admired his Father.  He never missed the chance to tell the story of how his 16 year old Father came from Sweden to America with $20 in his pocket and through hard work and ‘the Midas Touch’ became a very successful, respected businessman and real estate entrepreneur.

It was at Hall Electric that Bill met his future wife Patricia.  After a two year courtship of flowers, movies, poetry and family outings, Pat and Bill were married.  The ceremony took place at his Father and Mother’s idyllic lakefront home in Montague, Michigan.  After their honeymoon the newlyweds left to start a new life in San Francisco, California.

This first move to the Bay Area was exciting and fun but the job opportunities were sparse and the couple ended up returning to Muskegon where Bill’s Father helped him make a start managing his first company, Extendoor.  The company helped Bill grow as a company owner.  A couple years later Bill and his younger brother Bruce acquired and began running a hardware supply company called Towne Supply.

The success of Towne Supply made it possible for Bill and wife Pat to build their first home.  Bill’s love of the architectural styles of Frank Lloyd Wright and Joseph Eichler inspired him to help design a beautiful, modern home on top of Pigeon Hill, one of the last giant sand dunes remaining in Michigan.  The house had a beautiful view of Muskegon Lake, Lake Michigan over the dunes and was surrounded by sassafras trees.

The Towne Supply years also saw the birth of two daughters, Kim and Laurel.  There followed one of Bill’s most cherished roles as a Father himself.  The kids growing-up years were filled with family trips, sailing and summers at Grandma and Grandpa’s guest house and Muskegon Yacht Club activities.  Toddlers became adolescents became teens and then both girls were off to college leaving Bill and Pat empty nesters.

A large company recognized the success of Towne Supply and made the Hall brothers a generous offer which Bill and Bruce accepted.  They sold the business and Bill began an early retirement by buying a lakefront cottage for summers in Michigan and heading back to the Bay Area to live in Walnut Creek, California for the winters. 

Bill began commuting into San Francisco 3 days a week to volunteer for the Small Business Administration’s Score Program.  He spent the next 20 years being a mentor to aspiring small business owners and received many honors from the Score Program.  He was a ferocious consumer of anything having to do with business to the very end.  He never missed a broadcast of the Nightly Business Report, read the financial section of the newspaper and followed the stock market and business news every day. 

In his retirement years Bill pursued his favorite activities.  He enjoyed day trips to new places with friends, jazz concerts, contemporary ballet performances, architecture, discovering new restaurants and travels to places near and far.  He especially enjoyed a trip to Sweden to visit his Aunt Lili with whom he kept up a Christmastime correspondence by phone and letter for the rest of her days.  His Swedish heritage meant a lot to him and he loved his holiday Swedish rye bread, cardamom coffee cake and potatiskorv every Christmas.

Bill was a decent, fair, honest, dependable, loving, intelligent, humorous man.  He loved his family and he is missed but will never be forgotten.  He will live forever in our hearts and memories.  May you be in fair waters sailing in Heaven now.  We love you.