William Richard Hall

William Richard Hall, M.D., 95, has passed into the Hereafter to await the reunion with his dear wife, Suzanne. He fervently believed and told her that since he had found her in this life after years of searching, he would find her in the Hereafter.

Born December 7, 1924, in Boston Massachusetts, to Paul and Helen Hall, he graduated from Boston Latin High School in Boston. At age 17, he enlisted in the United States Army and served for three years during WWII. After the war, he graduated from Harvard University with honors in physics. Later, he graduated from Indiana University School of Medicine where he was in Alpha Omega Alpha Honorary, interned at Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis, and completed a Residency in Anesthesiology. He was a Diplomat of the American Board of Anesthesiology; a member of the Society of Cardiovascular Anesthesiologists; the American Society of Anesthesiologists; the Indiana State Medical Society; The American Medical Association; the Fort Wayne Academy of Medicine & Surgery; and the Fort Wayne Anesthesiology Society.

He was past president and a partner of Associated Anesthesiologists of Fort Wayne, P.C.; a member of the Heart & Lung Transplant Team; a past president of the Lutheran Hospital Medical Staff; and selected as a Top Doctor in Fort Wayne, Indiana by the International Association of Anesthesiologists where he was spotlighted in the publication, The Leading Physicians of the World. Bill was also a member of the Fort Wayne Country Club.

Bill was known for his love of medicine and his unwavering admiration for his medical colleagues, giving instructions to his wife that if he should be injured while traveling, she was not to allow anyone to touch him until he returned to Fort Wayne for medical care. His stamina and strength were legendary among his partners and family. His partners reported he was the only man in the partnership who could work 36 hours straight and not be tired. Not retiring until he was 74 years old, Associated Anesthesiologists hired two men to replace him upon his retirement.

His career in medicine was based on hard work, dedication, and kindness. In private life, he enjoyed each and every moment to the fullest. People enjoyed his quick, appropriately inappropriate wit, his ability to spin a humorous tale, and his joie de vivre. He was a gracious, gentle, and charming man.

He was an avid reader all his life, reading four books a week; he was a bow-hunter traveling to Montana to hunt elk and deer; a deep-sea fisherman traveling every August to Alaska with a son fishing for halibut and salmon; his down-hill skiing for 15 years was mostly at Snowmass, Colorado; he was an excellent ice-skater traveling with his wife to NYC to skate at Rockefeller Center (where the couple won a trophy for their ice-skating); he played golf and tennis; he was an enthusiastic gardener; he had an in-depth knowledge and great interest in birds, particularly raptors; and every year, Bill and Suzanne traveled throughout the world with dear friends.

He had many interests, but above all else, he said his world revolved around his beloved Suzanne and their four children. They brought him his greatest pleasure. For 10-plus years, the family traveled every summer by car throughout the United States until the children asked if the family could go to “the lake” like everyone else instead of visiting museums and historical sites. So they did. The family took great pleasure gathering for the holidays and celebrations, treasuring their biennial trips to Turkey Run State Park for over forty years.

Bill and his wife enjoyed traveling abroad every year. For decades, they annually attended the Shakespeare Festival in Stratford, Ontario; the Shaw Festival in Niagara-by-the-Lake, Ontario; and occasionally the Chautauqua Institution in Jamestown, New York. The past twenty-five years they have spent winters at their condominium in Boca Raton, Florida.

He is survived by his beloved wife of 53 years, Suzanne W. Hall; his four devoted children: Dr. Mark A. Hall of Muncie, Indiana; and Matthew D. (Nancy) Hall of Golden, Colorado; step-daughters, Cynthia W. (Michael) Connelly of Washington state; and Stacia W. (William) Gorge of Carmel, Indiana; and six grandchildren, Julianne Hall, Dr. Shannon Hall, Zachary (Catherine) Weatherholt, Joshua Weatherholt, Alec (Kristin) Gorge, and Keon Gorge. He was preceded in death by two brothers, Albert and Paul Hall, both of Boston, Massachusetts.

The memorial service will be private. At his request, he will be cremated and his remains buried with Suzanne upon her death.

In lieu of flowers, please send memorials to The Nature Conservancy (www.nature.org) and The Audubon Society (www.audubon.org).