Yup, I’m kaput. Snuffed it. Croaked. Taking a Dirt Nap. Gone West. Bought the Farm.
Got a Mole for a Mailman. (Please not that ghastly euphemism I’ve always hated,
“Passed Away.”)
You’re waiting for a punch line, right?
I’m sorry, but I regret to inform you that I really have died. I left this for my loving wife,
Bonnie, to send out, as I don’t trust obit writers. You know how they write: “Harry
passed away after a courageous battle with hangnail, surrounded by his loving goldfish.”
Dreck.
Bonnie can give details, but I’m assuming it was complications from my pulmonary
fibrosis and lung transplant. Please extend to her the help, support and love you would to
me, if I needed it.
I’m sorry I couldn’t stick around longer, but I have no real complaints. First, I won the
lottery—I was born in the United States, whose citizens have had the greatest freedom
and opportunities in history (or so it has been), thanks to free market capitalism, property
rights and political freedoms. I’ve lived longer and better than 99% of the humans ever
born, and been happier than 98% of them as well, so I don’t have a bitch coming. I’ve
been privileged to love and be loved by and married to Bonnie, privileged to love my
granddaughter, Britnye and grandson, Dale, and to have their love in return, privileged to
serve the people of Massachusetts in the senate and the members of some great
associations as their executive, and privileged to wear the uniform of the United States
Marine Corps, Privileged to work part time at the Madison VA writing over 300
veterans’ life stories. I’ve also been privileged to have a lot of people read and comment
favorably on my columns, books, poetry, articles, short stories and blog. (Bonnie has a lot
of my writing on the computer, if you want to read any of it.) That’s all a lot of privilege
for one guy. Since I volunteered for Vietnam and had an easy tour, I figure the rest of my
life has been a large gift. And death comes to all of us.
I’m mostly sorry I won’t be there to help Bonnie, Britnye, and Dale. I’m not happy about
the world I’m leaving them, but I did all I could to make it better. I hope they grow up to
be strong, independent and self-supporting people, who contributes to the world, not just
takes from it. That will make her happy. At least I left them my books: Advice for my
Granddaughter: For When I’m Gone. And Advice for Boys.
As I write, I think I still have things to contribute to the world, but them’s the breaks—we
play the cards we are dealt. I did have some warning that my days were drawing short. In
fact, I recently changed my party registration to Democrat. I figured if someone had to
die, better a Democrat than a Republican! (Yes, it’s an old joke.)
I have far too many great friends and wonderful relatives to start thanking you all by
name. But I have appreciated your love and friendship more than I could put in words. I
hope that I have usually deserved it. If you were part of that circle, you know who you
are and how valued you were in my life.
For more information about my life:
Books by Robert A. Hall
http://tartanmarine.blogspot.com/2010/07/new-book-published.html
Resume: Robert A. Hall
http://tigertoothresume.blogspot.com/2014/02/resume-robert-hall.html
Bob Hall's life story
http://tartanmarine.blogspot.com/2014/04/bob-halls-life-story.html
Bob wrote this for the Collingswood (NJ) High School Class of 1964 50th Reunion May
10, 2014, since he couldn't attend. It has a lot of details.
Please no posies—I don’t owe the floral industry a thing. If you feel moved to do
something in my memory, a memorial contribution to the Marine Corps Heritage
Foundation, the Semper Fi Injured Marine Fund, the Marine Corps Scholarship Fund or
the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation would be nice.
http://www.marineheritage.org/
http://www.semperfifund.org/
http://www.mcsf.com/site/c.ivKVLaMTIuG/b.1677655/k.BEA8/Home.htm
http://www.pulmonaryfibrosis.org
Well, I don’t want to make this too long, as I’m quite busy right now. (Okay, to be
accurate, right now I’m dead and not busy at all. I mean I was busy back when I wrote
this.)
So, I’ll close with a request for you to do all you can to preserve the Republic and the
Constitution—with its wise separation of powers—free markets and individual rights,
including property rights, the basis of freedom—for future generations. These may have
been lost since 1932, but you have to try. And Bonnie will need all your prayers and help.
Family joke: “Hey, Britnye and Dale—I love you more!”
Semper Fidelis,
Bob Hall
Once a SSgt, Always a Marine.
This is Bob's wife, Bonnie.
He made me promise to post this, so this is my promise made good. Bob didn't die of complications with his lung like we thought he would. Instead he was struck down by Biliary Adenocarcinoma (bile duct cancer). It is very nasty and doesn't show symptoms until the very end. He was as surprised by the diagnosis and quick decline as the rest of us were.
Below is the obituary. Any of you reading this are invited to his Celebration of Life. If you would like to send in a story to be read at his Celebration, please send it to me at TartanBonnie@gmail.com.
https://www.gundersonfh.com/obituaries/Robert-A-Hall?obId=31776749
An update to this post is that our granddaughter, Britnye and her husband, Kaleb are expecting our great-grand baby and today I learned it will be a girl. Life does continue. No matter what.
I will be monitoring his email for a while yet. Just can't bear to let it go.
Thank you for being a big part of Bob's online life! You were very much appreciated.
God Bless you all!
Bonnie Hall
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