Dr. Richard “Rick” Brian Hall (1947-2016)

HALL, MCCRAY, FISCHER, SKANK, SHAPIRO, GUTHRIE, CASSIDY

Posted By: Mark Christian
Date: 10/2/2016 at 20:48:14

Obituary From Adams Soderstrum Funeral Home, Story County, Iowa.

Dr. Richard “Rick” Brian Hall, 69, of Ames, Iowa died Wednesday, September 21, 2016 at Mary Greeley Medical Center of acute myeloid leukemia. He was born on March 24, 1947 at Harris Hospital in Mendota, Ill. to Richard Marion and Bernice Frances (McCray) Hall. He married Beverly Ruth Fischer on August 20, 1967 at Ohio Lutheran Church, Ohio, Ill.

Rick grew up in La Moille, Ill., graduating as valedictorian from La Moille Community High School in 1965. He received his B.S. in Forest Management from Iowa State University in 1969. In 1974, Rick received his doctorate degree in Plant Breeding/Plant Genetics (Forestry) from the University of Wisconsin Madison.

In 1974, Rick joined the faculty of Iowa State’s Forestry department, now part of Natural Resources Ecology & Management. He was as enthusiastic about his research (genetic selection, short-rotation silviculture, and biofuels), as he was about teaching his undergrads and guiding his grad students through their theses.

Through his work, Rick travelled extensively around the globe, visiting over 20 different countries and spending a 6-month sabbatical in Italy in 1993. He loved meeting new people, seeing new places (and trees), and tasting new foods.

Passionate about the great outdoors for his entire life, Rick especially loved camping and canoeing in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area with his daughters and grandchildren. He was also a proud member of the Friends of Ada Hayden Heritage Park.

A sports enthusiast, Rick rooted for the Chicago White Sox, the Green Bay Packers, and (of course) his beloved Cyclones. Known for taking shortcuts, for accidentally canoeing over dams, and for being a toad’s chew toy, Rick’s many adventures made for entertaining stories around the dinner table. Speaking of food: he loved Mt. Dew, pumpkin pie, and SPAM – a lot.

More than anything else, Rick loved spending time with his family and friends, be it playing board games and card games, sharing his love of nature with them, or making them laugh (or groan) with his puns and offbeat humor. He also adored his cat, Sebastian.

He is survived by his wife, Bev; his daughters, Janelle Lynn (George) Hall-Skank of Streamwood, Ill. and Christine Renee (Leah) Hall of Des Moines; three grandchildren, Emmalie Grace Hall-Skank, Nicholas Evan Hall-Skank, and Benjamin Kyler Hall-Skank, all of Streamwood; two sisters, Norma Jean Shapiro of Livingston, Mont. and Lois Marie Guthrie of Olympia, Wash.; one brother, Robert Eugene Hall of St. Petersburg, Fla.; and also several nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents, and his sister, Jo Ann Cassidy, who passed away just two weeks before Rick.

Memorials may be directed either to The Nature Conservancy at http://support.nature.org/site/TR?pxfid=7662&pg=fund&fr_id=1050 or to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society at www.lls.org.

Celebration of Life
Sunday 9 Oct
10:30 AM
Iowa State University Alumni Center
420 Beach Avenue
Ames, Iowa 50011

http://www.adamssoderstrum.com/
 

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