He died Nov. 11 in Rio Hondo Hospital after a long illness.
He was 82, born June 17, 1915 in Indianapolis, Indiana, the third child of Charles and Alma Thompson Hale. He was raised and educated in Speedway, Indiana.
In June, 1941, he entered the Army as a draftee, undergoing basic training in Texas. After Pearl Harbor he chose to attend Officers Candidate School in North Carolina, graduating as a 2nd Lieutenant. His first assignment was with a Coastal Artillery Anti-Aircraft battalion in Santa Monica. While there he met and married Stella Jowers Welsh, a native of Los Angeles, in 1944.
He completed his military service as a Motor Transport Officer in Nagoya, Japan, and was discharged with the rank of captain.
After the war he founded Hale Refrigeration, a commercial refrigeration service, and moved to Downey in 1949. He and his wife raised four children. He was a long-time member of the Masonic Order, an avid fisherman and golfer, and a frequent traveler with his wife in their motorhome.
Survivors include his children, Judi Hale Abbott of Redlands, Don and Debbie Hale of Downey, Ron of Downey; four grandchildren, Shari Hale of MT, Aaron Abbott of Redlands, Shane and Kevin Hale of Downey; a great-granddaughter, Jolene Nunn of MT.
He was preceded in death by his brother, Oscar; his sisters, Edith and Gladys; his wife Stella in 1987; and a son, Robert Erwin in 1988.
Viewing will be from 5 to 8:30 p.m. tonight (Friday, Nov. 14), and tomorrow (Sat., Nov. 15) from 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. in the Rose Hills Main Building.
Born in Warrenville, Ill., in 1917, he came to California in 1920. His ancestors were builders and craftsmen from Germany.
He enjoyed working with wood, and served in the U.S. Navy from 1939 to 1945. He became a chief pattern maker, constructing huge wood patterns for such large items as ships' screws.
After the war he became an instructor at Frank Wiggins Trade School, later to become Los Angeles Tech-Trade College, where he taught cabinet making. He advanced, becoming coordinator of the building trades. After a few years and several degrees he became dean of the Evening School. The school was growing by leaps and bounds, and merged with the L.A. School of Business. They moved to a larger campus and became the largest community college in the Los Angeles District. In 1969 he was elected to the president's office, a post he held until 1976. His later years there he spent as Assistant Chancellor.
His hobbies included wood carving and sailing, and he and his family often raced their Cal 20. He was Commodore of the Cabrillo Beach Yacht Club.
He celebrated his 80th birthday on Sept. 13, and he and wife Ruth Andersen Brinkman celebrated their 51st wedding anniversary June 11.
Survivors include his wife, Ruth of Downey; a daughter, Carol Brinkman of Downey; a son, Robert Brinkman of Quartz Hill; his sister, June (Melvin) Kiddie of Kingman, Arizona; a brother, Vaughn (Sally) Brinkman of Newport Beach; and numerous nieces and nephews.
The Reverend William K. Backstrom will officiate. Lunch will follow.
He was born April 23, 1938. In recent years he was a self-employed handyman, and was slowed by a heart condition.
Survivors include his wife, Norine; his children, Marjorie (Gabriel Montenegro), Nancy, Karen (Steve Bucellato), Lisa, John and Mary Elizabeth, all of Downey; grandchildren Megan and Joey; six sisters and two brothers.
Anyone who knew him is invited to join the family after the Saturday
services at the family home.
End Obituaries