Memorial services for Hal, who passed away last December 14, were held in Walden, NY on Saturday, April 22. Bill Wills, Jo-Ann Smith and I drove out (Bill drove) the two plus hours to attend.
I shared some of our memories of Hal here a couple of months ago (nfthchrisblog.blogspot.com/2023/01/january-2023-hal.html ), but not surprisingly, we learned a lot more about him from the eulogies given by his family and friends.
Hal earned a degree in electrical engineering after serving in the Navy. His EE degree may have led him to his eventual career in I/T, but it also helped with some of his home hobbies. Son Scott and daughter Kim provided several examples:
Kim remembered helping and often holding the ladder for her father as he rewired their entire18th-century home in East Granby.
Scott boasted that he was probably the only seven year-old in the world who had his own rocket ship in the basement, courtesy of his father. Hal had pieced the device, complete with dials, gauges and working lights, by salvaging discarded spare parts from work.
The Velie household’s first stereo was from a Heathkit DIY set: Hal ordered the kit, then assembled, soldered, and wired the device, which served the family for many years.
Hal’s skills extended to more domestic pursuits as well: Scott told the story of how his father sewed his own sleeping bag, also from a “kit”. The box that arrived from REI contained pieces of fabric, a bag of down filling, a zipper, and the instructions for putting it all together, which Hal promptly and determinedly did!
It turns out that engineering may not have been Hal’s first career choice. Just out of the Navy in the late 1940’s/early 1950’s, he dabbled in theater, taking acting classes, and even meeting and sharing a friendship with actor Harvey Korman. Although the acting career never took off, the theater was a life-long love for both Hal and his wife June.
Perhaps as an extension of Hal’s love of theater, one of Hal’s favorite holidays was April Fool’s Day, according to Kim. She and Scott had to keep on their toes whenever April 1 came around, not knowing what their father had in store for them, but he had his come-uppance one year when the two of them substituted a mixture of cider vinegar and dish washing soap for his usual glass of beer. Hal’s reaction, after spitting it out all over himself, was one of laughter; he had taught them well!
On a serious note, both Kim and Scott expressed their gratitude for Hal's support for them during difficult times in their lives - at times even providing that support anonymously. Two of Hal and June's nieces also spoke, recalling family holidays and happy gatherings at the Velie home, one niece remarking how she considered herself "very fortunate to have an uncle like Hal".
Hal was a member of the Walden Masonic Lodge, so the funeral home services included a solemn dedication ceremony from a group of fellow members; the luncheon after the cemetery rites was held at their Lodge in downtown Walden.
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As to be expected, the conversations between Bill, Jo-Ann and me that day focused a lot on our memories of Hal.
We talked about his methodical planning of several department-wide progressive dinners, as well as the elaborate "Marvin & Mavis" productions that he directed and staged at some of our annual picnics * (more of his theatrics on display, pulling in a cast that included Norm Lapointe, Tom Woodruff, and Ken Hebert, to my recollection) - and in his retirement, the coordination of our annual luncheons and of course the News from the Hole.
As his obituary stated, Hal was truly a "jack of all trades and master of most" - certainly one of a kind, and we were lucky to have known him!
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* We remembered that in addition to Prairie Home Companion, Hal was a big fan of "Seinfeld" (once reporting that he had all of the shows on tape), "The Big Bang Theory", and especially "Car Talk". Reminded of those programs, and growing weary of talking, we spent the last hour or so on our way home listening - and laughing to - podcasts of Click and Clack.
