Charles Myron Hall, age 94, died on Sunday, Oct. 11, 2015, at his home in Edgartown. He was born in Burlington, Iowa, on June 12, 1921, the son of Mary Eliza Booth of Stratford, Conn., and Charles Myron Hall of Burlington, Iowa. He spent his first seven years in Casper, Wyo. After the death of his father in 1928, Charlie and his mother returned to her hometown in Connecticut. His mother married Burr Beach of Trumbull, Conn., in the early 1930s. Charlie grew up in Trumbull and graduated from Bassick High School in Bridgeport, class of 1939. In 1943 he graduated from Iowa State University with a degree in Mechanical Engineering, then attended Officer Training School at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md. He married Jane Claud-Mantle of Trumbull at Annapolis in 1943.
Charlie served on the fleet oiler U.S.S. Cache in the South Pacific in WW II. He was on the Cache as part of the Third Naval Fleet when it was caught in Typhoon Cobra in December 1944, in what would become known as “Halsey’s Typhoon.” He witnessed the loss of several ships and their crews, and would recount years later the awe of watching a battleship rolling to over 50 degrees of tilt like it was a toy. He was at Ulithi Atoll in the Caroline Islands, where the fleet went to recover after the storm, where he witnessed the attack on the U.S.S. Mississinewa. He helped rescue members of its crew as it burned and sank. Charlie was in Tokyo Harbor at the time of the signing of the peace treaty, and would serve a total of three and a half years on active duty before serving in the Navy Reserve.
After the war he went to work as an engineer for General Electric in Bridgeport, Conn., before starting with defense contractor Perkin-Elmer Corp. While at Perkin-Elmer he worked for years on a highly classified program developing the optics for the U-2 and SR-71 spy planes. As part of this program he had the unique experience of making several trips to Groom Lake, Nev., the remote, classified Air Force Base, now commonly referred to as Area 51. The existence of the aircraft, the base, and the capabilities of the optics would remain classified for years, some until quite recently. At the time of his retirement Charlie was working as a contract manager for the KH-9 Hexagon satellite program, another highly classified project. He retired from Perkin-Elmer in 1983.
Charlie was a tinkerer and an exceptionally handy man. He built his first house. He restored several antique cars, notably a 1913 Model T and a 1929 Model A, both of which participated in numerous Edgartown parades. He also restored a 1755 saltbox house in Stepney, Conn., the Thomas Hawley House, which is featured on the Wikipedia page for saltbox houses. While his son Bill was in high school, they restored a Model A Sedan together.
In 1980, Charlie married Joyce Arnold Ell of Trumbull, and they built a home in Edgartown in 1982. He loved to clam and walk the Island. After moving here full-time in 1995, he walked every paved road and most of the beaches on the Island. He skied until he was in his late 80s, and played golf into his early 90s. He also enjoyed a good game of pool, playing cards with family, Chilmark Chocolates, and exploring the Vineyard waters in his 1963 Thompson. He could fix almost anything, but especially enjoyed working on old clocks. Over the years he built everything from small pieces of furniture to complete houses, and was always ready to lend a hand with whatever project a friend had in mind. One of the projects he most enjoyed was volunteering on the construction of the new Agricultural Hall in West Tisbury. Together Charlie and Joyce traveled much of the world, Charlie often resisting the effort, but always saying, “I’m really glad I went” on their return.
In addition to his wife he is survived by his children: Cynthia Hall Arendt, and her husband Rudolph of Oxford, Conn., and William Charles Hall, and his wife Deborah, of Knoxville, Tenn. Grandchildren: Jonathan Arendt and his wife Valerie, and Amie Arendt Loring and her husband Thomas, all of Southbury, Conn.; Susannah Hall Perry and her husband Patrick of Knoxville, Tenn.; and Betsy Hall Fellabaum and her husband Matthew of Paris, France; and great-grandchildren: Beth and Gregory Arendt, Joshua Cooke, Aedan and Seamus Loring, all of Southbury, Conn.; Abigail Perry of Knoxville, Tenn., and Zoe Fellabaum of Paris, France; stepsons Douglas Ell and his wife Kris of Vero Beach, Fla., Kenneth Ell and his wife Jeanette of Rutland, Vt., John Ell and his wife Virginia of Trumbull, Conn., and Theodore Ell and his partner Maureen Creedon of Sandwich; step-grandchildren Matthew Ell and his wife Sarah of Herndon, Va., Christina Ell Ostrynskyy and her husband Alex of Baltimore, Md., Brittany Ell of Washington, D.C., Christopher Ell of Brooklyn, N.Y., Kellie Ell of Lincoln, Neb., Stephen Ell of Rutland, Vt., Amanda Ell and Michael Ell of Trumbull, Conn., Jordan Ell of Manhattan, and one step-great-grandchild, McKenzie Joyce Ell of Herndon, Va.
Charlie was a wise, loving and proud father, grandfather, and great-grandfather to all.
A memorial service and celebration of his life will be held Sunday, Oct. 25, at 2 pm at the Federated Church, 45 South Summer Street, Edgartown. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Charlie’s memory to the Federated Church, P.O. Box 249, Edgartown, MA 02539.