Wilbur “Bill” Hale, Jr. passed away on September 15, 2017 at the Lower Cape Fear Hospice in Bolivia, NC; he had been battling leukemia for several months. His wife of 64 years, Joanne Rawson Hale, passed away on September 22 in Bolivia, NC.

Born in Blakely, PA in 1930, Bill was raised in Scranton, PA. Joanne was born in Scranton, PA in 1930 and was also raised in Scranton, PA. After earning his Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy in 1952 at the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science, he joined the U.S. Navy. Joanne graduated from the Moses Taylor Hospital School of Nursing of Scranton in 1951; she was a registered nurse. They were married in 1953.

Upon completion of the Navy’s Officer Candidate School, Bill served on active duty as a surface warfare officer for six years and then transitioned to the Navy Reserve. He then worked as a pharmacist at various stores in the central PA region while Joanne worked as a nurse in various hospitals.

In 1973, Bill retired from the Navy Reserve as a Commander after 20 years of service and he and his family moved to Chester, VT where he was the owner of the Chester Drug Store. Joanne was the school nurse at Green Mountain Union High School, in Chester, retiring in 1991. Bill sold his business in 1992 and the couple retired to their log cabin on Terrible Mountain in Andover, VT.

Bill enjoyed meeting people in his part-time jobs at Okemo Mountain Ski Resort in Ludlow, VT and at the Vermont Country Store in Weston, VT. He was an active volunteer for the Community Care network in the Chester/Andover, VT area. Joanne was a talented woodworker and gardener. In 2015, they moved to Southport, NC, to be closer to family.

Throughout his life, Bill was active in the Navy, the Rotary Club in PA and VT, the Chamber of Commerce in VT, the community, and the couple’s churches in PA, VT, and NC. Joanne was an inspirational teacher and was also active in their churches.

They are survived by their daughter, Wendy, and husband Phil of St. Davids, Wales, United Kingdom. They are also survived by their son, Tom, and wife Marybeth of Southport, NC; granddaughter, Nichole, of Manheim, PA; grandson, Christopher, and wife Tori of Astoria, OR; and great grandchildren Keira, Chet, and Declan, also of Astoria, OR.

The family will bury their ashes in the future in Andover, VT.

Donations can be made in lieu of flowers in Bill and Joanne Hale’s name to either the Lower Cape Fear Hospice Foundation at www.lcfhfoundation.org or the Coast Guard Foundation at www.coastguardfoundation.org