When I die, bury me deep, with a bowl of chocolate gravy at my feet, with a biscuit in my hand, and I’ll eat my way to the promise land.”
Ernie Joe Hall, 70, of Galion, died Tuesday, March 7, 2017 at Ohio State University Hospital, Columbus after injuries sustained in an automobile accident.
Ernie was born in Banner Springs, TN on June 1, 1946 to the late Lester and Edna (Brown) Hall. He married Marcia L. (Hoover) Hall on June 29, 2013 and she survives him.
Ernie graduated from Galion High School in 1965. A very patriotic man, Ernie proudly served in the U.S. Army 32 Signal Corp. during the Vietnam Era and did a tour in Germany from 1966-1968. He retired from General Motors in 1999 after over 30 years of service. A member of the Shelby Church of God, he was an ordained minister and loved to talk to people about Jesus. . At church, the children attending would flock to him. Ernie enjoyed visiting folks in the nursing home, the ill, and the elderly, taking them flowers, offering kind words, and prayers. His short attention span would only allow the visit to be no more than 20 minutes; he just couldn’t sit still! He enjoyed traveling, taking cruises, visiting family, and going on greyhound bus trips. At 6’4 the bus couldn’t be all that comfortable, but he was usually up and about playing MC of the bus. Those who knew Ernie would say he always had a story or a joke to tell. He loved to make others laugh. Just ask him about his pride and joy and he’d retrieve a photo from his wallet. Thinking you’d see a picture of his children, it would actually be a photo of the dish detergent Pride and the dish detergent Joy He was the life of the party and could be heard from many rooms away. Heaven will never be quiet again! But through all the joking, Ernie was also a very kind, generous man with a soft spot for the less fortunate.
In addition to his wife, he is survived by his son, Steven Hall of Galion; his daughter, Tammy Deel of Galion (Timothy Lynch); his four granddaughters, Anna Hall, Leah Hall, Vanessa Deel, and Olivia Deel; his sister, Eula and Ronald Smith of Galion; his twin sister, Joyce Ann Conley of Ontario; his brothers-in-law, Denton Atkinson of Galion; and his sister-in-law, Diane Hall of Galion.
He was preceded in death by his sisters, Nellie and Cordell Vaughn, and Gertie Lois Atkinson; his brother, Lester Cleo Hall; his brother-in-law, Michael Conley; and by his children’s mother, Janetta Hall in 1994.
Friends may call Monday March 13, 2017 from 2-4 p.m. and 6-8 p.m. at the Schneider-Gompf Funeral Home, 303 Portland Way N., Galion. Funeral services will be held Tuesday March 14, 2017 at 10:30 a.m. at Shelby Church of God, Shelby, at the corner of London West and St. Rte. 61 with Pastor Rick Lewis officiating. Military honors will be given by the U.S. Army and the Galion Crestline Joint Veterans Burial Detail. Burial will follow be in Fairview Cemetery, Galion.
Memorial contributions may be made to support his granddaughter, Anna’s trip to the Dominican Republic in care of the funeral home.
Online condolences may be made to the family at masfh.com
