Hal was born on January 30, 1948 in Miami FL to William (Bill) and Edna Belford. His sister Agnes was 20 years older than him and was starting her own family. When Hal was 1 years old, his cousin Pat came to live with the family and they became best buddies and grew up together. Even though there were 9 years between them they did everything together. When Hal showed interest in race cars, his dad arranged for both Hal and Pat to start racing their own Midget cars. This led into an interest in in stock car racing. Bill made it possible for Hal to have his own stock car which was raced by professional drivers for him.
Upon graduating from high school Hal attended Miami Dade College and then Florida Atlantic University. In 1973 he married Emelia Dietz who was the “girl across the street”. They made their home in Miami and had 3 sons. During that time Hal was a Market Manager for Winn Dixie. In 1980 the family moved up to Central Florida and made their home in Altamonte Springs for the next 28 years.
Hal’s favorite hobby was his family. He coached Little League Baseball, soccer and flag football. He made sure that he could get to every game possible. When the boys got bigger and Hal wasn’t coaching, you could see him standing on the sidelines rooting on the teams. He found a new love of a game when the boys started playing Lacrosse. Even though he wasn’t coaching he made sure that he got involved in helping the team. He was one great hamburger flipper for the players! As the boys grew up Hal could still be found standing on the sidelines even if it was driving up to the University of Florida to see a game. On weekends he could be found watching his beloved Miami Dolphins and the University of Miami Hurricanes. He was also a great bowler and bowled in several leagues over the years.
Hal was baptized on Easter Sunday 1973, just 2 weeks before he and Emelia were married. They attended church together and once their boys were a little older, they began to teach children in Sunday School. He loved the kids that he and Emelia taught, whether it was the 4 year old class or the high school kids, he had a heart for them all. He became a Deacon at his church while living in Florida.
After his sons all graduated from college and moved out of state to start their careers, Hal was offered a position with Tri-Venture Marketing in Georgia. He and Emelia always wanted to live in North Georgia so in 2007 they moved to the Dallas Ga area.
As proud as he was of his 3 sons, his heart was complete when he had grandchildren. He followed them in their sports and activities just like he did with their dads.
Hal is survived by his wife of almost 43 years, Emelia. His sons Michael (Shana) of Los Altos Ca.; Christopher (Julia) of Powder Springs Ga.; Steven (Thelma) of Marksville La.. Also grandchildren Christopher (CJ), William, Isaiah, Suzanne, Simon, Catherine and Matthew. Cousin Gail Patricia Flynn, nephews Dan Maloney, John Maloney and Tim Maloney and Cousin Debbie Samac and numerous great nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his father William; mother Edna, Sister Agnes Maloney and mother in law Emelia Dietz.
Funeral Home, Kennesaw, GA. Memorial contributions may be made to LBDA.org (Lewy Body Dementia)
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