Virginia Ethel Hall

Virginia was born and raised in Grays Lake, Illinois. Her parents were Louese and George Frear. She was the second of four children. She had two sisters and one brother.

She was one smart woman. She was salutatorian of her high school class. She graduated high school on a very historic day - D-Day.

In her early 20's she and a friend took a trip out West. It was on that trip she met her first husband Jonathan Mauck. They had three children - Kelly, Cynthia and Alison.

After divorcing Jonathan in 1965, she became a single mother with three kids to support.

She landed a good job with the Idaho Department of Lands in Coeur d’Alene, and worked there until her retirement in 1988.

She stayed active. She joined a Christian Women’s Business group, played tennis with her kids, and even took up jogging at one point. Once her kids had flown the coop she joined a community orchestra that would meet at North Idaho College. She played bass fiddle in that orchestra – something she had taken up in high school.

A few years into her retirement she began a new adventure and moved to Tucson, AZ where she worked as a volunteer for Wycliff Bible Translators. During that time she met her second husband Martin Hall. When Martin died in 2015, she moved back to Coeur d’Alene to be near her friends and her children.

She was adventuresome. She spent thirty days traveling through eight European countries with her daughter Cynthia in 1978. She and a friend journeyed to New England to see fall colors and participate in whale watching. Also with her daughter Cynthia she spent a week in Mazatlan, Mexico and traveled around Oregon. She went on several cruises with Martin. In her late 70's she learned to fly a plane. Martin had a passion for flying and gave her lessons.

Above all she was friendly and funny. She could strike up a chat with anyone and had a ready smile. 

Memories of Virginia From Her Children, Cousins, and Step Children 

Daughter Cynthia

I loved Mom’s sense of humor. One time when playing the board game “Clue”, she guessed the murderer was Colonel Mustard in the library with “lawallawer”. I laughed, and asked “what’s up with “lawallawer”? She said it was from a Fred Allen radio episode about an Asian detective named One Long Pan. 

Son Kelly

I remember a birthday cake she made for me that looked like a baseball park. She owned a booklet that showed how to cut and decorate cakes to look like many different things. Most birthdays we kids had really cool looking birthday cakes. We had a lot of fun in 1969 driving from Coeur d’Alene to Illinois for Mom to attend her 25th high school reunion. We stopped at many interesting places getting there and back: Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument; some caverns, President Hoover’s birthplace; a number of places in Chicago; President Truman’s Library in Missouri – just to name a few.

Cousin Liz Moudy

My cousin Virginia – Dinny as we always called her - was an integral part of our family life in Coeur d'Alene while she lived there. She came to every family party, laughed at all our jokes, telling her own funny stories and I never heard her say any cross words - she probably did, but she was a soft-spoken, lovely woman. She was my dad Jim's most favorite niece. I always admired her fortitude as a very smart single mom, working full time to raise her kids. I also enjoyed hearing her play the piano. My late sister Patricia was very close to Dinny and they had a lifelong friendship. They would talk for hours about things that were important to them. Now they can resume their friendship in Heaven!

Cousin Sue Burrey

I remember the earthquake in Alaska and how we worried about Dinny and her little ones. We were very happy when they came back to CdA. It was so cool that Dinny worked for the Department of Lands. We all remember the visit with Dinny when we lived on Pine Cone in Ohio.

Cousin Mike Ransom

When we all were little, I loved going over to Dinny's place on Harrison Ave to play with our cousins and enjoy great food. She was always kind and gracious, and told great stories of her growing up with her mom. I later wished I had written or recorded them. 

Cousin Barb Ransom

Mom had surgery and Dinny took we 3 youngest for a few days. I remember how kind and lovingly we were treated, and Dinny put my hair in soft pink foam curlers on the last day. I was embarrassed when people saw them, but loved having curls!

Step Daughter Nancy Caldron 

When Dinny married my father, Martin Hall, in 2001 she very quickly endeared herself to his entire family of children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, nieces and nephews. Dinny and Marty were very happy together and continued serving their Lord where they met in Tucson, AZ as volunteers for Wycliffe Bible Translators. Dinny was a wonderful woman of faith in her Lord Jesus Christ. She was also a musician having played the organ in her churches for many years. She was a member of the Friends church in Tucson where they were married. The volunteers began each day with devotions and song for which Dinny played the organ and Dad would turn the pages of the hymnal. Hymns were never too slow or boring when Dinny played because she had a special way of bringing those songs to life with meaning and message. I will be ever grateful to her for the almost 15 years she was married to Dad and filled his life with joy.

Step Daughter Betty Bluett

One memory I have of Dinny was when she purchased a blouse for me during a trip she and dad made to Mexico. It was a brilliant white with exquisitely embroidered very colorful butterflies on it. I wear it to this day and think of her. She always picked out wonderful gifts for us.