Geraldine "Gerry" Jones Hale

Geraldine “Gerry” Jones Hale, 92, of Abilene, TX died Monday, May 29, 2017, at a local nursing home. Funeral services will be held at 2:00 PM, Saturday, June 3, 2017 at Elliott-Hamil Funeral Home, 5701 Highway 277 South, with William “Bill” Jones officiating. Burial will follow in Elmwood Memorial Park. Family Visitation is 6:30 to 8:00 PM. Friday at the funeral home.

Born January 6, 1925, in Slaton, Texas, Gerry was the daughter of Benjamin Fred and Celia B. (Olive) Jones. She graduated from Abilene High School in 1942and attended Hardin Simmons University thereafter. She began her work career with Service Parts Company as an inventory control clerk during World War II, and later worked for Western Windmill Company.

Gerry met her future husband, Harold “Harry” Claire Hale, while he was stationed at Camp Barkley in the U.S. Army in 1942. They met at South Side Baptist Church and they married on October 28, 1945 in Abilene, Texas, following his return from deployment in Europe during World War II.

Gerry was the school librarian first as a volunteer when her sons were in school, and then as an employee of Abilene ISD at Bonham and Crockett Elementary Schools. She also held positions at the Administration office and the book depository for AISD, retiring in 1989. It was not uncommon when she was about town to have a former elementary student speak to her and share fond memories of her kindness and guidance in finding the perfect books.

Her ministries included serving as Librarian at Southside Baptist Church for many years, where she also taught 3-year-old children in Sunday School for many years.

Gerry loved her family dearly and made it a priority to spend individual time with each grandchild having sleepovers and ice cream outings after school, baking cookies and brownies and providing special craft activities for each of them. She loved to hostess a back yard barbecue each June in honor of her husband and twin son’s birthdays, as well planning and preparing a huge meal each Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Gerry was preceeded in death by her parents, her husband, and her brother, Kenneth Fred Jones. Survivors include twin sons and their wives, Robert “Bob” Gerald & Kathy Hale of Abilene and David Harold & Sharon Hale of Lytle, Texas; seven grandchildren, Melanie (Hale) Cheek, Matthew Dacy, Erin (Hale) Bennett, Mitchell Hale, Laurie Hale, Matthew Hale, and Courtney Hale; nine great-grandchildren, Peyton Seals, Andrew Harold Bennett, Addison Hale, Lennon Rodriguez, Landon Hale, Hudson Hale, Eli Bennett, Cormac Dacy, and Ashlyn Hale; many nieces, nephews, and extended family including Robert’s foster daughter Vickie Cross Closson and her family in Ohio.. Also surviving is her dear sister-in-law, Mary Jones, who was more like a sister and lived next door for many years. Mary and Gerry managed to survive the mischieviousness of five boy cousins that were always more like brothers.

Pallbearers will be Mitchell Hale, Matthew Hale, Peyton Seals, Matthew Dacy, Anthony Bennett, and Danny Jones.

Memorials may be made to Alzheimer’s Association at alz.org.