Robert James Hall, 85, passed away Tuesday, May 14 in Visalia, Calif.

Robert was born Aug. 30, 1933, to Ray and Mary Hall in Woonsocket. He attended high school in Alpena, where he would meet the love of his life, Marcy Hilgeman. Robert joined the United States Navy, and at the age of 18, he married his high school sweetheart before being stationed in the Philippines.

Upon his discharge from the Navy, Robert did some farming and then decided to use his Navy money to obtain an English degree from South Dakota State University, followed by a Masters degree in English from the University of South Dakota. He worked as an English professor at the College of Sequoias in Visalia, Calif. He would spend the rest of his working career at the school, eventually becoming the English department chairman for a time.

Robert loved hunting, fly-fishing, trapshooting, working out and traveling around the world and throughout the United States. He and Marcy joined an RV group that traveled the U.S. Robert was active with the Kaweah Fly Fisherman and the Tulare County Trap Club.

Robert is survived by his wife of 67 years, Marcy; his children, Neil (Cathy) Hall of Fairfield, Calif., Scott (Barbara) Hall of Woodlake, Calif., Tamra Carlson of Fresno, Calif., Babs (Steve) Palmer of Danbury, Conn., Terry (Rebecca) Hall of Fresno, Calif., and Paul and Anne Byrne of Moycullen, Ireland; many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.