Terry J. Hall

Memorial services for Terry J. Hall, age 74, of Albert Lea will be held at 2:00 p.m. Friday, March 11, 2011 at Bayview/Freeborn Funeral Chapel.  Rev. Dan Baker will officiate.  Interment will be at the Graceland Cemetery with Military Honors accorded by area veteran’s organizations.  Visitation will be one hour prior to the service.  To sign the guest book, go to www.bayviewfuneral.com

Terry died Friday, March 4, 2011 at Good Samaritan Center.

Terry J. Hall was born on January 28, 1937 to Stanley and Cecelia Evelyn Hall in Albert Lea.  Terry graduated from Albert Lea High School in 1955.  He immediately left Albert Lea to enlist in the United States Air Force for a period of four years.  During Terry’s Air Force service he received extensive education in electronics and was assigned to the elite Strategic Air Command.  During Terry’s service with Strategic Air Command he was classified to work top secret assignments as an aerospace electronics navigation systems and as an intercontinental guided missile (ICBM) systems analyst.  Such service included assignment to Marshall Aerospace Flight Center in Huntsville, AL where Terry studied under the management and direction of Dr. Werner Von Braun.  Terry was one of the first twenty-five United States servicemen certified to launch a defensive ICBM response in the event of an enemy attack.  After his four years in the Air Force, Terry immediately attended the University of Arkansas (Arkansas Polytechnical).  He graduated in less than three years with a Magna Cum Laude Bachelor of Arts degree.  He was then competitively selected as a United States Treasury, law enforcement officer.  He served with distinction in that role in various assignments throughout the country for several years prior to being selected as a manager.  In the next several years Terry then worked with his staff on widely diversified law enforcement projects significantly impacting the nation’s economy and security.  In addition to Terry’s rapid promotion to manager and executive, he received frequent recognition during his career with the federal government by receipt of numerous honorary and cash awards.  Terry served throughout both his military service and federal career service as an instructor and chief instructor of high level technical, supervisory, managerial and executive skill level formal courses.  Terry was particularly pleased to have received singular recognition for his career long efforts in the identification of female and minority subordinates who possessed the capability to move from clerical, and paraprofessional roles into higher level administrative and professional positions.  During Terry’s early employment with the federal government he participated in both Master of Business and Master of Public administration programs at the University of Missouri.  Several years later after selection as a federal executive, Terry was nominated by the Secretary of the Treasury and confirmed by the President to attend Stanford University as a post graduate fellow, PhD level, in public policy.  Terry’s Summa Cum Laude performance at Stanford University resulted in commendation by Stanford University Nobel Prize winning professors as the most outstanding participant to have ever completed the public policy program.  After return to his role as a federal executive, Terry’s responsibilities included management of collection of all federal revenue and taxpayer services in the northeastern region of the United States.  In administration of these responsibilities thru a professional and clerical staff of eleven thousand five hundred people; twenty million tax returns were processed generating two hundred billion dollars.  Terry married Jean McKinney and from this union came two children, Kimberly Kay and LuCinda Hall.  Kimberly Kay was killed in St. Louis at age 6 coming home from kindergarten.  Terry and Jean then divorced.  Terry later married Else Diffenbaugh and from this union two children were born, Monique and Michelle.  Later divorcing, Terry continued to live in New York.  After retirement Terry returned to Albert Lea to be closer to his sister Nancy and family.  Due to health issues stemming from diabetes he had been a resident of Good Samaritan center for the past eleven years.

Survivors include his daughters, LuCinda Hall of Oregon, Monique Hall of Pennsylvania and Michelle Hall of New Jersey; 4 granddaughters; sisters, Nancy (Richard) Jenson, Patricia (Gregory) Madrigal, Kristine (Dennis) Erb, all of Albert Lea, and Constance (Gerald) Anfinson of Grand Rapids; aunt, Joy White and various extended family members and friends.

Terry was preceded in death by his parents; daughter, Kimberly; brothers, Michael and Thom Hall and one brother in infancy.

Terry’s motto was “I’ll do it my way”.  The family wants to thank all the nurses and care givers who provided comfort and made Terry’s life comfortable especially at Good Samaritan Center.

Blessed be his memory.  He was a good man, loved by many over the years who had the privilege to know him.