Obituary of Ralph F. Hall

Cheshire - Ralph F. Hall, 98, passed away Monday, March 26, 2018 at the Yale-New Haven Hospital Saint Raphael Campus, after a brief illness. He was the devoted husband of the late Dolores G. (Paquette) Hall.

Mr. Hall was born January 25, 1920 in Millinocket, ME, a son of the late Richard and Laura (Bouchard) Hall. He graduated from Stearns High School in 1937. Following high school, he joined the C.C.C. (Civilian Conservation Corps) and worked on many public works projects in the State of Maine. After leaving the C.C.C., he moved to CT. He enlisted in the Army in 1941, following the Declaration of War against Japan.

He was assigned to the 84^th Engineer Camouflage Battalion after basic training in Louisiana. His unit landed in Arzew Algeria in early 1943 as part of operation Torch and participated in the battles in Tunisia. After the allied victory in North Africa, his unit landed in Naples. He participated in the Italian Campaign, including the Battles of the Winter Line and Monte Cassino. He was present on June 5, 1944 in the Liberation of Rome. Following this, his unit then was involved in the Battles of the Gothic Line and the Po Valley. After the Allied victory there, his unit advanced with the Fifth Army and ended in Belzano, just south of the Brenner Pass when the war ended. Following his discharge, he moved back to Connecticut and attended the Porter School, becoming a draftsman. After graduation he worked at several manufacturing companies training in machining. He went to work at Pratt & Whitney Aircraft as an engineer in the Tool Design Department, where he worked for 38 years, retiring in 1987.

In 1949, he met Dolores and they were happily married for 57 years. Following his wife’s illness, he moved to Elim Park in Cheshire, where he was an extremely devoted husband helping with his wife’s care and was a well known resident. He enjoyed vacations with his family, at times in Maine and Canada, and showing his family the Maine wilderness where he grew up. He will be greatly missed by his family, his friends from Pratt & Whitney, and the friends he made at Elim Park.

Mr. Hall is survived by his sons, Richard Paul Hall of Hamden and Gary Joseph Hall of Middletown, and his daughter, Laura Mary Hall of Prospect. He also leaves behind his sisters, Arlene Kolesnik of Waterbury, and Lorraine Bollman of Newmarket, New Hampshire. He was predeceased by his sister, Jeanette DiMeco, and three brothers, Gerald, Melvin and Robert Hall.

Arrangements: A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at St. Bridget of Sweden Church on Wednesday April 4, 2018 at 10:00 A.M. Burial will be in St. Bridget Cemetery. Friends may call at The Alderson-Ford Funeral Home of Cheshire, 615 South Main Street, Wednesday morning from 8:45 until departure. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions, in Ralph’s name, may be made American Diabetes Association, P.O. Box 15829, Arlington, VA  22215. For online condolences, to share a photo or a story, please visit www.fordfh.com.