Yet another belated passage ...
When I was a kid in Virginia Beach I lived on Lavender Lane next to John Hall and we were pretty good friends during that time. I was a silly youngster preoccupied with cartoons and other aspects of childhood fantasy and The Three Stooges were a constant in my existence.
My frequent impersonations of Curly got me tagged with "retard" and other derogatory labels because the kids there were as cruel as other kids anywhere and it was something which was done ... but John never participated though he did think it all was funny.
The names never did bother me and I really was oblivious to most everything else as well for the childhood fantasy world in my mind held me in it's tight grip and nothing much could retrieve my attention from it for more than a scant few minutes.
I recall him referring to his father as being an "engineer" and his mother seemed to be in and out the house and I knew of his siblings but was not acquainted with them otherwise.
We would camp out in the front yard in our tent constructed of blankets and clothespins against the chain link fence separating us and attended Aragona Elementary School in the heyday of my childhood. We would watch cartoons and talk about the things which interested us and he tolerated my lack of sophistication well.
He had a little chihuahua named "Cocoa" (I suspect due to it's coloration) which was female and very territorial. I usually got growled at when I encountered her ... and she had her first litter of puppies after I had departed for parts South and the continuation of that which existed only in my imagination for years to come.
All of this not withstanding I have a lot of fond memories of halloween and the snow and listening to his big brother play in the band where they practiced next door. These were the days of home made skateboards, playing army, various tag games, Batman and Robin, the AM radio, with Jan and Dean and the popular music featured the beach, cars, and racing as I remember.
One of the biggest enticements I recall was John's aquarium at which I marveled upon each and every visit ... and there were many visits over the course of the years we were neighbors. I think I may have irritated his mother with my incessant presence sometimes. Other times she was more at ease and seemed really glad to see me. I'm sure I was likely a handful with which to contend at that period of my life.
Like so many others, I had entertained looking him up for a visit only to find that he has passed away shortly after I took my present job, just like my dear friend Nancy ... and the sadness of hopes which will be unfulfilled revisited me only last week when I made this discovery.
From what I can determine he seems to have had an enjoyable life doing those things he spoke of often as a child — namely automobiles — and I'm sorry we never had the opportunity to visit again as I had hoped.
John Kevin Hall
John K Hall
February 17, 1954 - March 10, 2009
VIRGINIA BEACH- John Kevin Hall, 55, passed away on March 10, 2009 at a local hospital.
Born in Lynchburg, VA, Mr. Hall was in the automobile business for over thirty-two years. He was a loving father, brother and a friend to everyone he met.
Survivors include his daughter, Natalie Hall Richardson and husband, Justin; a brother, Harry “Eddie” Hall, Jr. and wife, Roberta M. all of Norfolk, VA; a sister, Priscilla M. Howe and husband, Mark of Clinton, MS; a granddaughter, Blaire Nicole Richardson and his best friend, Brooks Powell.
The family will receive friends on Friday from 6 to 8 p.m. at Rosewood Kellum Funeral Home where a funeral service will be held Saturday, 11:30 a.m. by The Rev. Lynn Sparrow Christy. Interment will follow at Rosewood Memorial Park.
Rosewood-Kellum Funeral Home
601 N Witchduck Rd
Virginia Beach, VA 23462-1916
(757) 340-1717
