The community is saying goodbye to one of the City of Bartlesville’s most beloved directors this week. Carl Michael Hall, better known as “Mike” to friends and family, passed away Feb. 21 following a brief illness.
“Mike Hall was truly one of a kind,” said City Manager Mike Bailey. “He was quick with a joke, compliment, snappy comeback or whatever was called for at the time. He led without fear but with the spirit of service in his heart.
“Mike was a valuable asset to the City and our community, but more than that, he was my friend. I’ll miss him more than I can say.”
Hall was born March 8, 1951 in Joplin, Mo. He attended Riverton High School, graduating in 1969. He served in the U.S. Navy and earned a degree in environmental science from Missouri Southern College.
He married Jo Ellen Turner in 1973 and worked for several years as the Public Works director in Baxter Springs, Kan. He moved to Bartlesville in 1994 to begin his career with the City, serving as Water Utilities director until his retirement in 2014. Following his retirement from the City, he acted as a consultant for water plant projects in the four-state area.
Hall is survived by his wife Jo Ellen, his mother Beulah Rose Hall, two sisters, Linda Shallenburger and husband Tim, and Margie Bugni and husband Jim, one brother, Joe Hall and wife Sherri, three children, Heather Subbert and husband Bryan, Travis Hall and wife Amanda, and Ashleigh Boeve and husband Jessie, as well as eight grandchildren, Jackson, Isaiah, Ani, Chloe, Hanna, Joseph, Samuel, and Jace, in addition to numerous aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his father, Carl Clinton “Corky” Hall, brother James Hall and grandmother LaTressa Vanderpool Moore.
Outspoken and affable, Hall was beloved by the community and fellow co-workers alike.
“A true renaissance man, he was incredibly generous with his time and resources,” family members said in an obituary published recently online and in the Examiner-Enterprise. “He believed in rising early and working hard, and he could build or fix anything he set his mind to. He was an engaging story-teller who made friends easily. He took care of the people he loved, and he loved many people. He was and is our hero.
“His life was full of love, joy, golf, corny jokes and adventure. He would prefer for this to end with an inappropriate joke, but just as in life, we are keeping him in line.”
A Memorial Mass was held Feb. 26 at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Galena, Kan. A come and go event was held in honor of Hall at the Adams Golf Course Clubhouse in Bartlesville on Feb. 27.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Mary Martha/Catholic Charities, Bartlesville. Online condolences can be made at www.derfeltfuneralhomes.com.