Hale Harper Luff

Rosary will be said at 7:30 p.m. June 9 at Callahan-Edfast Mortuary. Services will be at 10 a.m. June 11 at Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church. Burial will follow at Orchard Mesa Cemetery.

He was a buyer for City Market.

Survivors include three sons, Joseph and Mark, both of Grand Junction, and Richard of Bellingham, Washington; nine grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren.

Memorial contributions to Holy Family School, 786 26 1/2 Rd, Grand Junction 81506; Western Colorado Community Foundation, P.O. Box 4334, Grand Junction 81502; or to HopeWest, 3090B N. 12th St., Grand Junction 81506.

Hale H. Luff

July 22, 1923 - May 28, 2016

Hale H. Luff passed away on May 28, 2016, at the age of 92. He was born in Oakland, California, on July 22, 1923, to Mignon H. and Hale H. Luff, Sr. They later divorced.

Hale was raised in the Bay Area and graduated from Piedmont High School in 1941. He was accepted into the V-5 Naval Aviation Flight Training program in 1943, and that same year he was sent to Grand Junction for flight training at Walker Field and ground school classes at Mesa College. He became an ensign, and his squadron was preparing to ship out to the Philippine Sea for combat when the war ended.

After the war, Hale graduated from the University of California in Berkeley. While Hale was stationed in Grand Junction, he met Mary Prinster, who was a hostess at the local USO. After the war they reconnected and fell madly in love. They were married at St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Grand Junction on December 28, 1949. Hale and Mary initially lived in the Bay Area for a short time, and in 1950 moved back to Grand Junction, where Hale went to work for City Market in the buying department. He retired from City Market in 1978.

Hale loved skiing, playing golf and tennis, spending time with his family, and socializing with his friends. He and Mary enjoyed retirement and traveled extensively. He was a member of Immaculate Heart of Mary parish and was a strong supporter of Holy Family School. Hale was a long-time member of the Grand Junction Lions Club and a founding member of the Bookcliff Country Club.

Hale was preceded in death by his parents, Hale H. Luff, Sr. and Mignon Gifford; his sister, Marilyn Chovanes; his beloved wife, Mary; and two daughters, Martha Luff and Terese Luff. He is survived by his sons, Joseph (Shelley), Richard, and Mark (Brenn); nine grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren.

Visitation will be at Callahan-Edfast Mortuary on June 9, 2016, at 6:00 p.m., followed by a Rosary at 7:30. A mass of Christian Burial will be held at immaculate Heart of Mary Church on June 11, 2016, at 10:00 a.m., followed by a reception at the church. Burial will then take place at the Orchard Mesa Cemetery.

The family requests that in lieu of flowers, memorial contributions be made to Holy Family Catholic School, c/o Western Colorado Community Foundation, 225 N. 5th Street #505, Grand Junction, CO 81501; or HopeWest Hospice, 3090B N. 12th Street, Grand Junction, CO 81506.