Robert "Bob" K. Hall

Robert Kurtz Hall, age 86, went into the loving arms of his “best friend”, Lord, and Savior Jesus Christ on February 19, 2024. Robert (Bob) was born on May 22, 1937, in Maywood, Illinois to parents, the late Bruce & Gladys Hall. He was predeceased by a brother Harold and two sisters Normalee and Kathryn. Bob was a graduate of Luther North High School, Chicago Illinois. He graduated in 1959 with a Bachelor of Arts from Valparaiso University. He later went on to receive a Bachelor of Divinity (1970) and a Master of Divinity (1985) from Concordia Theological Seminary. In High School, Bob sat on the Student Council all four years, culminating into being voted as Student Council President his Senior Year. He was named “Mr. Popular” in his Yearbooks and his classmates referred to him as “Bobby”, “Big Blue Eyes”, and “Everybody’s Pal”. Bob was also an athlete, playing basketball & tennis. As awesome as all these accolades might sound, his greatest day of High School came when he met a lovely young lady by the name of Patricia Thiel. From their junior year on, the two of them were inseparable and eventually graduated and went off to Valparaiso University together. How fitting, while at Valpo, Bob was a brother of the Tau Kappa Epsilon (TKE) fraternity; their motto was “Better Men for a Better World”. Bob married his High School sweetheart, Patricia Thiel, on August 22, 1958 (Junior year of college). Bob and Pat went on to have five wonderful children, Cherie (1960), Wendy (1963), Patty (1964), Craig (1965) and Debbie (1972). He worked at Sears, Roebuck & Company in North Lawndale, Chicago, Illinois in the Audio Visual and Marketing Department from 1959- 1966. Hearing God’s call to service, Bob served as a Lutheran, Missouri Synod, Minister for 35 years from 1967-2002. During these years, his preference was to lead mission churches & evangelism was always his #1 focus. - Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church, Edwardsville, Indiana - Lutheran Campus Ministry, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky - Faith Lutheran Church, Madison, Indiana - Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, South Bend, Indiana - Emmanuel Lutheran Church, Tell City, Indiana After his retirement from full-time Ministry, Bob continued to serve the Lord. He served as a temporary Pastor at several churches; providing stability & leadership to congregations until permanent Pastors were assigned. His final pastoral position was serving, for an extended period, at Our Savior Evangelical Lutheran Church, Indianapolis, Indiana. Post-retirement, Bob also felt the need to invest in our youth. He provided spiritual guidance to disadvantaged youth at the Lutherwood Children’s Home, Indianapolis, Indiana. He always remained a passionate voice of love, hope, and empathy to young people. Bob had quite a zest for life. - Avid Reader (Hemingway, Michener, Ambrose, etc). - Love for Cinema; he and Pat had an extensive movie collection. - Sports Fan: Joe Louis, Colts (Manning), Celtics (Bird), Pacers, UK, Tennis (Borg), etc. - Love for Music (Jazz, Classical, Four Freshman, Neil Diamond, Frank Sinatra, etc.) - Loved to Sing; sang praises to the Lord in numerous church choirs - Pat & Bob often attended the Symphony in Indianapolis. - Art Enthusiast (Rembrandt, Georgia O’Keefe, Van Gogh, etc.) Bob lived out his faith and rested on the promise of Isaiah 40:31, "But they that hope in the LORD will renew their strength, they shall soar on wings like eagles, they will run and not grow weary, and they will not faint." He is survived by his wife, Pat (Thiel) Hall, after a loving and wonderful marriage of over 65 years; four daughters, Cheryl Hall of Lubbock, Texas, Wendy Hall of Maplewood, New Jersey, Patty Benson of Lantana, Florida, Debbie Gish of Carmel, Indiana; a son Craig Hall of Rancho Palos Verdes, California; 11 grandchildren; and 4 great grandchildren. The Hall family will receive friends Thursday, February 22, 2024, from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Shirley Brothers Funeral Home, 9900 Allisonville Rd, Fishers, Indiana. A worship service honoring Bob’s life will be held shortly thereafter at 5 p.m. Pastor David McClean will preside. Interment will be held on Friday, February 23, 2024- 2:30 p.m. at Mount Emblem Cemetery, 520 E Grand Ave, Elmhurst, Illinois. In Bob’s memory, donations can be provided to the Lutheran Child & Family Services. Go to www.lutheranfamily.org to discover how you can help.

Tributes

Robert "Bob" K. Hall

May 22, 1937 - February 19, 2024