Val Hale

Coval F. “Val” Hale, 69, passed away on Sunday; August 23, 2020. Graveside service: 9:00 AM, Saturday, August 29, 2020, Holly Hills Memorial Park. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Marine Corps League, 1214 Chaparral, Granbury, TX 76048.

Val was born Jan 29, 1951 to Robert and Janice Hale in Somerville, Massachusetts. He was preceded in death by his parents.

He is survived by wife Julie, daughter Jenifer Ruffin and husband Adam, daughter Jesica Richey and husband Dillon, son Jason Fischer, grandchildren Jillian Squires and Leah Ruffin, brother Tony Hale and wife Daisy. And multiple additional family, and friends.

Before his first birthday, his was diagnosed with cerebral palsy – a birth injury diagnosis that would cripple the average person, but it ended up as a defining point of strength in Val Hale. Back when it was politically correct to have “Poster Children”, the beautiful curly headed boy served as the poster child for the Cerebral Palsy Foundation.

As a child Val had multiple surgeries to straighten his legs – surgeries that were tested on him that became the gold standard in medical care for children born with CP today.

Val was an active child, encouraged to do anything he wanted to do. His mother would send him off on his bicycle and immediately get out the first aid kit. He came back scraped up every time, but he never stopped.

As a teen he decided he wanted a mini bike – his mother convinced him to get a guitar instead….. and that became a new defining moment in the life of Val – he discovered a talent with both guitars and vocals and started forming bands with his buddies in school.

Val’s years growing up included a brother, Tony, who remained his best friend for life.

After high school, he decided he would make it as a rock star, so he went to art school at the Boston Art Institute. He was offered a summer internship with the Federal Aviation Administration as a board drafter. He took the job, thinking it would pay the bills while he became a famous rock star. After a couple of years, he realized he enjoyed playing music on the weekends and he had somehow stumbled into a Federal Career.

His career became another defining factor in “who Val was”. He succeeded in every option they put in front of him. From learning the early years of CAD drafting to his years in software development for Web Applications, Val could simply do anything that was put in his path.

The FAA brought Val & Julie together. Work friends became close friends and close friends became sweethearts in 1997. By 1997 Val & Julie started the process of joining their lives, which included Val taking a year-long travel job which enabled him to be with Julie and the kids every other weekend. “We needed to make sure we had it right, and right for everyone affected”.

By December 29, 1998 Val and Julie married and Val moved to Granbury from Boston. Val joined the tribe when he married Julie – helping raising three children and melding into life in Texas. He went from being a single man living alone to a bustling household with Jenifer, Jesica and Jason, his mother in law Cleta and father in law CW and Aunt Betty were next door.

Val’s two granddaughters were the apple of his eye. He had a very close relationship with Jillian and was beginning to get to know two-year-old Leah.

Val wrote and performed classic rock music and blues. He was an avid hobbyist, creating tiny detailed slot cars. Val loved his family deeply, enough to completely leave an established life in the Boston area to join Julie, the kids and the family in Texas. Val was considered an expert in his field, with 49 years of federal service with the Federal Aviation Administration. He was an active member of the Marine Corps League and a strong supporter of the Marine Toys for Tots Program. He was a steadfast friend to so many and set a living example of perseverance in the face of difficulty. He had a quiet personal faith that you knew about if you knew him.

Ten years ago Val received a diagnosis of heart failure and he and Julie were told to “use their time wisely” and that he may have “a couple of weeks to months” to live. They both retired immediately and went on a cross country road trip to join the family on a two week boat trip on the Erie Canal. He decided he would live-or-die regardless of where he was at the time, so he opted to live. It wasn’t until recently when his kidneys failed that it looked as though the heart failure would actually catch him.

Val bravely made the decision to move to hospice care and to pass on his own terms. Among the list of things he told the hospice team was that he expected a high def TV in his room. He always sets his expectations high.