Robert Ames Hall passed away on December 24, 2021, leaving behind his wife Judy Hall, as well as a worldwide community of family and friends.
Bob was born December 31, 1923, to William D. Hall and Letitia (Hatch) Hall in Castine, Maine.
He played basketball and baseball for Castine High School, graduating in 1941 as class salutatorian. He then attended the University of Maine (UMO), in Orono for two years during which he met his beautiful bride-to-be, Judith M. Whitcomb, during a youth conference at the Isle of Shoals. His first summer job during college was spent manning a forest fire tower on Dog Mountain in Oregon where he walked 3 miles to get his mail while trying not to step on rattlesnakes.
He proudly enlisted in the Navy in March 1943 and was assigned to the submarine “Parche”. Bob was a baker on the Parche, one of few allowed daily showers as he was frequently covered in flour. He was known for his raisin cinnamon rolls, baking cakes for each crewmember’s birthday, adding food coloring to the ice cream so it looked like different flavors, and once he burned the fried cornmeal mush so badly they were forced to surface in order to air out the submarine only to find they were in sight of the Japanese coastline. Bob made all six Parche war patrols in the South Pacific to include surfacing at night in the middle of a Japanese convoy and sinking several ships in 45 minutes, resulting in the Congressional Medal of Honor for their Skipper.
Upon his return from the war, he and Judy married in June 1947 in Keene, NH. Together they moved back to Maine so Bob could resume his studies in Wildlife Conservation at UMO. He was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE) fraternity with his brother and cousin and sang in the fraternity choir. After graduation from UMO he began his first teaching job in Belfast, Maine as a biology teacher for which he was paid $2100 for the year. Two sons were born in Maine, and as a family, they enjoyed several seasons at New Hampshire summer camps where the adults were counselors. In the 1960s the family moved to Long Island, NY where he continue to teach in Massapequa and Huntington, NY until he retired in 1979.
Upon retirement, he moved to Troy, NH to a house overlooking Mt. Monadnock and Perkins Pond. His first big retirement adventure was a 72 day “Around the World” trip which was soon followed by numerous trips to Turkey, South America, Europe, Asia, as well as across the nation visiting family and friends. He enjoyed all the trips his wife planned for them and never complained about being the Sherpa. He wrote epically long poems about every trip and made sure each traveler received a copy. He prided himself on offering encouragement and being friendly to everyone. One of his favorite places was the family cottage on the coast of Maine where he would spend weeks every summer boating to nearby islands for picnics and puttering around the property. Bob was a dedicated volunteer for the Troy Historical Society, became the unofficial historian for his WWII submarine crew for which he compiled a 600+ page presentation on their war patrols, attended numerous post-war conventions and contributed to several books of WWII submarine history. He loved to ski, snowshoe, and cook outdoors in all seasons with his “bean hole beans” and doughnuts being crowd favorites as he was an expert fire builder for cookouts. He was Bob, Dad, Uncle Bob, and Grandpa – always ready to go for ice cream.
Bob was preceded in death by his parents, siblings, and son Gerald. He is survived by his wife of 74 years Judy Hall; his dedicated son Dave and wife Karen Hall, sister in law and husband Jan and Earl Merritt, his sister-in-law Julie Whitcomb and Mary Rappazoo Hall, his grandchildren who love the outdoors too: Katie and Rob Bradeen, Doug and Carla Hall, Kris and Amanda Hall, and Jen Hall; his great-grandchildren who love stories as well, Ryan and Sean Bradeen, Alexander and Addison Hall, Alora Hall, and Luke Hall along with many nieces, nephews, and friends from around the world.
An announcement will be made for a Celebration of Life at a later time. In lieu of flowers, please consider honoring Bob with a donation to the
Pacific Fleet Submarine Museum
11 Arizona Memorial Dr.
Honolulu, HI. 96818 or the
Troy, NH. Historical Society
1-5 Depot St.
Troy, NH. 03465
and have some ice cream. All services are under the care of Cheshire Family Funeral Home and Crematories, 46 S. Winchester St. Swanzey, NH. 03446. WWW.cheshirefamilyfh.com
