OAK ISLAND — Harold Garrett Hall III, 74, died Monday, June 5, 2017.
The son of Harold and Ruth Hall, he was born in Scranton, Penn. Harold (Bud) graduated from high school in Binghamton N.Y., and from Colgate University, where he ran cross country and was treasurer of Phi Kappa Psi fraternity. He received his M.A. in business and public administration from the University of Missouri followed by four years in the U.S. Air Force (Air Force Accounting).
He was employed by Cornell University as a business manager in the Department of Athletics for 10 years. Subsequently, he joined the staff of UNC Greensboro Department of Athletics and retired as senior associate director after 20 years. Bud also served as the men’s golf coach for 11 years and was twice designated as conference coach of the year.
He was an avid participant in sports and a man with a remarkable memory. He shared stories of finishes with precise detail as a championship college runner and golf enthusiast on holes played years before. He recalled statistics and outcomes of many sports he followed. He kept stats mostly for himself in retirement. He enjoyed watching sports and was a fan of the Red Sox, Tar Heels, Jeff Gordon and Tiger Woods, keeping detailed track of their statistics the old-fashioned way, by writing them down.
His handwriting was meticulous with printing; he was taught by his grandfather, the original Harold G. Hall. With his training, experience and fascination with numbers, he made detailed personal lists of many things. Bud was also a collector. He once gathered over a thousand golf score cards and was delighted to gift them to another collector. He succeeded in amassing an outstanding compilation of 90s great female country artists, listening to many with headphones and was happy to know several nephews 20-something would take them all. Together with his children, for years he collected baseball cards, and later into his 70s still focused on the hunt, he honed in on minor league teams. Bud’s professional and personal style was marked by witty humor.
After retirement, he continued to joke and converse with folks he met in the community, and white-bearded, he could be greeted in December with a list for Santa. Many people shared good times with him as family member, friend and coach. A special note of thanks is given to the staff of NHRMC Home Health, Lower Cape Fear Palliative Care and Hospice Care.
He is survived by his wife, June, Oak Island, N.C.; daughter, Lisa (Joshua) Crook of Bolivia N.C.; son, Geoffrey (Caitlin) Hall of Fort Myers, Fla.; sister, Alison (Jeffrey) Payne of Treasure Island, Fla.; sister-in-law, Janice Shaw (Wayne) Bartell of Hubert, N.C.; grandchildren, Michael, Nathan and Grace Crook; and nephews Tyler, Troy, Jase and Jacob Payne. He is also survived by nephew, Brian Grennell of Dallas, Texas; niece, Kristan Simon of Clifton Park, N.Y.; nephew, Matthew Grennell of Fort Worth, Texas; and close family member, Ruth Grennell of Brooktondale, N.Y.
He was preceded in death by his parents and sister-in-law, Diane, and her husband, Michael Grennell, of Nairobi, Kenya.
To honor his wishes, family members will gather in the Blue Ridge Mountains at a later date to celebrate his life and the deep and lasting impact he had on our hearts and memories.
Online condolences may be made at peacocknewnamwhite.com.
