Obituary of Thelma Esther Hall

Thelma Esther (Hoyt) Hall Thelma Esther Hall, 95, passed away at the home of her daughter in Bessemer, Michigan on Tuesday, September 18, 2012. Thelma was born in Cleveland, Ohio on March 21, 1917, to Cleo May (Dykes) and Clifford James Hoyt. Thelma's mother died in the 1918 flu epidemic, and she lived in Cleveland until the age of seven when she moved to Brooklyn, Wisconsin to live with her paternal grandmother, Ellen (Devoll) Hoyt. Thelma married Charles Robert Hall in Rockford, Illinois on January 25, 1936 and they first settled in Brooklyn, Wisconsin, where she graduated from high school. Thelma and Charles moved to Fitchburg, Wisconsin in 1946 and to London, Wisconsin in 1955. She continued living in the small community of London near Cambridge until just over 3 years ago when she went to live with her daughter, Edith, in Bessemer, Michigan. Thelma began working at the Cambridge Cleaners as a seamstress in 1960 and later worked at Schweiger's Furniture Co. in Jefferson sewing cushion covers for upholstered furniture. She next worked at Hamlin's in Lake Mills for 6 years, first in the electroplating room and then running a computer. By the time of her retirement, she was working as a keypunch operator for a business on the south side of Madison. Thelma always felt it was important to keep both her mind and hands active. She enjoyed game shows, puzzles of all kinds, writing poetry, embroidery, crocheting, knitting, sewing and quilting. She loved flowers and birds and was especially fascinated by the colors found in nature. She enjoyed traveling by Amtrak train and visits to family gave her the opportunity to see much of the United States from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean and from Lake Superior to the Gulf of Mexico. She was also a past secretary of the Women's Fellowship at the London Moravian Church. Thelma was preceded in death by her husband, Charles in 1983; her daughter, Martha Sorenson in 1994; and her son, Dr. Clifford Hall in 2008. She was also preceded in death by her three half-sisters, Geneva Schular (1987), Evelyn Reeder (2000) and Dorothy Couch (2012). Surviving are two daughters and one son, Edith (Randy) Jablonic, Bessemer, MI; Thelma Mae Hall, Calumet, MI; and Charles (Marie) Hall, Albuquerque, NM; many grandchildren and great grandchildren. Funeral Services will be held on Wednesday, September 26, 2012 at 11:00AM at the London Moravian Church, London, Wisconsin with Rev. Jane Follmer Zekoff officiating. Burial will be in the Prairie Mound Cemetery in the Village of Oregon, Wisconsin. Friends may call after 10AM on Wednesday at the church until the time of the services. The Nitardy Funeral Home, Cambridge, Wisconsin is assisting the family.