David Spencer Hall

David S. Hall, 72, of Lakewood, passed away June 26, 2011. Beloved husband of Valerie. Father of Julia C. Hall & Karen (Brian) McGrath. Brother of Frances Gunnels & Phillip Schiffert. David was born 1938 in Madison, Wisconsin and was adopted by the Hall family at the age of three. He spent his childhood years in Parsons, Kansas, and then moved to Wichita, Kansas when his dad was transferred there through his job. David and Val met in a music appreciation class at Wichita State University in 1965 – he asked her out for their first date on April Fools' Day! He was an electrical engineering major, and Val was pursuing a teaching degree. On their first date they went to a movie, and afterwards, over coffee, he described in great detail the workings of a planetary transmission – David's version of ""small talk""! After they were married on June 3, 1967, David and Val moved to Denver because he landed a job at Lockheed Martin. He loved living in Colorado, particularly going camping, rafting, and hiking in the mountains. In those early years, the couple often went camping on the spur of the moment in their little two-person tent. They finally decided to start a family, and Val gave birth to Julia on April 3, 1974; Karen came along a few years later on September 6, 1978. David LOVED being a Daddy and he was a great parent – he even changed diapers! When the girls were young, Val would often awake in the morning to learn that during the night, one of the kids had thrown up, and that David had cleaned them up, dressed them in clean pajamas, changed their bed linens, put the dirty laundry into the washer, and then returned to bed without disturbing Val! There wasn't anything he wouldn't do for either his wife or his daughters. David had enjoyed riding motorcycles since he was 14 years old, and after he and Val moved to Denver, he owned a succession of motorcycles. Once the girls were old enough (about five or six), David would take each of them on a motorcycle/camping trip. They both eagerly looked forward to those adventures. David's job as an aerospace engineer required lots overtime and extensive travel to Florida and California--he was often away from home for weeks at a time. But every time David returned home from a business trip, no matter how late it was, he would wake each of the girls to tell them he was home and kiss them goodnight. He never demanded time to himself – whenever he was at home, he was all about being a good husband and father. One of David's favorite things to do was to take the kids to various parks around the Denver area, where they could play under his watchful eye. Julia and Karen were amazed at how Daddy could find the most unique, off-the-beaten-path parks for them to visit. Both girls have fond memories of those outings. From the time they were born, they were both ""Daddy's little girls"", and each, in her own way, was able to wrap him around her little finger! David worked almost 37 years for Lockheed-Martin, mostly on the Titan project--he was basically a ""rocket scientist""! He was extremely good at his job and received many commendations through the years for his remarkable problem-solving skills. David retired at the end of 2003, and he was happy to finally be in charge of his own schedule each day. After retirement, David and Val began traveling more– they took road trips to Yellowstone, New Mexico, and Devil's Tower in their little Miata convertible, and they also enjoyed several cruises. Their 2005 cruise to Alaska fulfilled one of David's life-long dreams. He loved model trains and airplanes, but his favorite hobby after retirement was building and sailing remote-control model boats. He spent hours in the basement working on the many details of a model boat, and even kept a spreadsheet of how many hours it took to assemble each one. After the boats were finished, he enjoyed sailing them in small lakes around the area. He often drew crowds who enjoyed watching him put his boats ""through their paces""! David was a complicated individual with many talents and interests. He played classical music on the piano, loved to play chess and backgammon, and he could fix almost anything around the house – including many of the kids' toys when they were little. If one of his boats had a part that broke or some other problem, he would come home with a smile because he loved the challenge of having to come up with a solution! The motto in the Hall household was ""Daddy can fix anything""! When Karen and Brian became engaged, David was delighted – he loved Brian from the moment he first met him. It was a very happy day for him when he walked Karen down the aisle to marry Brian on October 5, 2008. He looked forward to the times when Brian's family would join the Halls for holiday gatherings and other special occasions. Although David wasn't an outgoing person, he enjoyed being a member of the Colorado Crew Remote Control Boat Club, and he looked forward to his weekly lunches with his retiree buddies. David and Val celebrated their 44th wedding anniversary just a couple of weeks ago. They were a very good match in their marriage, each one offsetting the weaknesses of the other. They were best friends and truly ""soul mates"". David never forgot their wedding anniversary or Val's birthday, and he often brought her flowers for no particular reason. He was a quiet, thoughtful, and generous man who showed Val that as long as they were together, they could get through anything life had in store for them. He taught his daughters the value of putting other's needs first, the joy of never growing up, and how to make the most out of every day. David will be sorely missed by anyone who knew him. Memorial Service Wednesday, 10:00am, Horan & McConaty Family Chapel, 3101 South Wadsworth Boulevard. In lieu of flowers donations suggested to American Liver Foundation, 2100 South Corona Street, Denver, CO 80210 or online at www.liverfoundation.org/chapters/rockymountain Please share your memories of David and condolences with his family by selecting the ""Sign Guestbook"" button below.