William David Hale Jr.

Dave Hale is remembered by his cousin, Howard Hale, as having "lived life to the fullest and marched to the beat of his own drummer...a life lived hard, fast and full...." In other words, the embodiment of the phrase, "hale fellow, well-met." Always ready to "go and do,” Dave never met a stranger and leaves behind a loving family and an abundance of friends. In recent years, Dave took to feeding the birds in his small side yard, laughingly (given his teasing of his father for the same habit) following his father's footsteps. He loved to garden and was particularly proud of his lime tree, the fruit of which he shared with friends, old and new.

Dave was extremely proud of his military service as an aerial interpreter. This service reinforced his lifelong passion for flying, and he used his GI Bill benefits for flying lessons, eventually becoming one of Houston's pioneering aerial traffic reporters for radio stations KILT and KULF. He was also proud of having taught flying, especially to lifelong friends, Jon Disler and Rick Morrison.

His greatest and most enduring talent, however, was as a salesman. Whatever the product, Dave could sell it: insurance, appliances, DIY supplies, horses, and even plumbing services. In Dave's book, "no" was one less step on the way to "yes," and he rarely lost a sale. After a few years in retirement, Dave went back to work for Hy-Tech Plumbing, which gave joyful purpose to the last few years of his life.

William David Hale, Jr., was born an army brat on 30 January 1943 in Atlanta, Georgia, to William David Hale, Sr., and Katherine Britt. Traveling the world with his parents and his sister, he graduated from Wurzburg High School in Germany in May 1961. Upon returning to the U.S., Dave enlisted and served in the U.S. Army from 1962 to 1965, with further service in the Army Reserves from 1965 to 1968. After learning to fly, he traveled the world, from Africa to Alaska, and points in between, as an aerial photographer.

Eventually, his journeys brought him to Texas, where he found his chosen family in Paul and Kristen Burke, becoming "Uncle Dave" to their two girls, Katie and Baylee. Always a ladies' man, Dave never married, but found happiness in his final years with his long-time companion, Patsy McLaughlin.

Dave is pre-deceased by his parents, Bill and Katherine Hale, and his brother-in-law, Mike St. Clair. In addition to his many friends all over the world, he is survived by his beloved little sister, Janet Alford (Billy), his niece Jenny Schmidt (David), Jeff and Ben Holmes, and Cameron and Morgan Schmidt, all of Newnan, Georgia. He is also survived by his beloved and loving partner, Patsy McLaughlin and her extended family of Houston, Texas.

Remember Dave with laughter, love, and joy -- Hale fellow, well-met.

A brief service will be held at Houston National Cemetery on Monday, 19 February, at 1:00 p.m.