Through all life’s highs and lows, Lawrence Daniel Hall stayed perpetually positive, forward-focused, fun-loving and young at heart. He approached his final illness with the same scientific curiosity and resourcefulness that had always served him well, peacefully letting go just moments after a last visit with family on Sunday, May 30, 2021 at the Hospital of Central Connecticut in New Britain. Larry was kind yet fierce to the end. His interests and accomplishments were many: He was an avid fisherman, former paratrooper, self-made aerospace engineer, master gardener, cut-up, people person, hot-pepper connoisseur, superb storyteller, consummate gentleman, gourmet cook and understanding and easygoing husband, father and grandfather. As a young man with sultry looks and a passion for music, he reminded people of Elvis, and he once shared drinks with Little Richard on a memorable night in Montreal. A lover of praying mantises, walking sticks, other quirky bugs and all of nature, Larry could predict the weather based on the qualities of a woolly bear caterpillar’s coat; that was just one of his unusual abilities. He never shied from adventure. In the last decade of his career, he became a savvy business traveler who trained other staff worldwide and immersed himself in the cultures of Ireland, Israel, Singapore, Japan, Taiwan, India, Ukraine, Norway, Mexico, Canada, New Zealand and other countries on his circuit.
Born to Viola “Sis” (Mumley) and Daniel Hall on December 18, 1939 in Burlington, Vermont, Larry was raised in his ancestral homeland of Isle La Motte – on the shores of his beloved Lake Champlain – before moving with his family to Southington, Connecticut, where he spent his teenage years and beyond. Larry and his brother Bobby would return to Isle La Motte countless times on hunting and fishing trips over the years. After graduating in 1957 from Southington High School, where he excelled in football and track, he spontaneously took off with a buddy to try living in Florida… and ended up broke, surviving on bread and peanut butter. A return home, study at the University of Connecticut, a romance with Jean Vono, service in the 101st Airborne Division of the Army and marriage on May 10, 1962 followed. Their daughter Jennifer was born in 1966, followed by their son Aaron in 1976 and grandson James in 2002.
For more than 40 years, Larry worked as a quality analyst and engineer and in numerous other roles for Pratt & Whitney Aircraft, retiring in 2005 and continuing on as a consultant until 2007. He was known for his expertise in delving into the processes of jet engine repair and finding solutions to problems, serving as a mentor for personnel in the United States and around the world. In retirement, too, he was ever-energetic, embraced technology and was constantly fishing, cultivating and preserving fruits and vegetables and creating beautiful meals with them.
Larry is lovingly remembered by his wife Jeanie, daughter Jennifer Hall and partner David Burnhan of Waterbury, son Aaron Hall of Plainville, grandson James Hall of Plainville, brother John “Bobby” Hall of Waterford (and former wife Bernie), sisters Judy Maier and her husband Ron of Southbury and Sarah Hall and her husband John Tucker of Plymouth, Wisconsin, sister-in-law Linda Galati, brother-in-law James Vono and his wife Joyce, many nieces, nephews and grand-nieces and -nephews and scores of friends, relatives and colleagues. He was predeceased by his parents, mother-in-law Susie (Laudati) and father-in-law Ralph Vono, sisters-in-law Antoinette Welch, Roseann Pellegrini and Anne Marie “Chickie” Bourgoin and brother-in-law John Vono.
Calling hours will be on Friday, June 11 from 5 to 7 p.m. at Della Vecchia Funeral Home, 211 North Main Street, Southington, CT 06489, with a memorial service and military honors at 7 p.m. A celebration of life will be held at a later date. Donations in his memory may be made to the Isle La Motte Historical Society, 4 Quarry Road, Isle La Motte, VT 05463. To leave an online condolence, please visit www.dellavecchiasouthington.com.
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