John was born on September 7, 1938 in Newton, Kansas. He was the son of Elmer and Tressa Hall, and brother of Nelson Hall, all of whom preceded him in death.
He graduated from Wichita State University in 1963, majoring in music education with minors in science and mathematics, and pursued graduate studies in art history at Hunter College in New York City.
John worked in a variety of different jobs and places, reflecting both the breadth of his interests and the diversity of his skills. He taught orchestral music on Long Island, New York; served as an assistant production manager at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City; most recently, he worked for Duke Power as an I&E Technician at the Catawba Nuclear Plant.
John was an accomplished visual artist, with exhibitions at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, and the San Francisco Museum of Conceptual Art, among many others. He loved music and played trombone for the Huntington Symphony on Long Island, and he conducted choirs in Kansas and New York.
He was fascinated by the world around him, the people he met, and the times he lived in. He was as comfortable talking to a corporate executive as he was to the custodian, and as ready to discuss politics and current events as he was art, music, cosmology or philosophy. But no person and no topic fulfilled him more than his deepest loves – his wife, his children and his grandchildren.
He is survived by his wife, Marilyn Sussman Hall; his children: Stephanie Hall (John Battista), Suzanne Hall-Fritsch, Joseph Hall (Sameena Majeed), and Adele Hall Carter (Bryan); as well as his grandchildren: Lucas Battista, Eleanor Fritsch, Aliyah Majeed-Hall, Jasper Majeed-Hall, Max Carter, Chloe Carter, and Milly Carter.
Memorial services will be held Monday, October 15, 2018, at 2pm at the Temple of Israel.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be made to the Temple of Israel, 400 Spring Forest Road, Greenville, SC 29615; or to the Greenville Humane Society, 305 Airport Road, Greenville, SC 29607.
