LAWRENCE G. HALE
TupeloLawrence Griswold Hale, 92, passed away on Thursday, June 14, 2007, at the North Mississippi Medical Center. Mr. Hale was born December 20, 1914 in Worchester, Mass. During the 1930s, he played the clarinet with a band that performed in the northeast. He joined the Army Air Corp in 1941 and was a non-commissioned officer in the US Air Force until 1965, retiring with the rant of senior master sergeant. He was a crew chief on the B-17 aircraft during World War II. He served at bases at Seabring, Fla., the Philippines, Oklahoma City, Okla., San Antonio Tex., and West Palm Beach, Fla. He taught communication skills at the Military Air Transport Service (NATS) NCO Academy at Orlando Air Force Base. After his military career, Mr. Hale worked for the Social Security Administration in Memphis, Tenn. and Tampa, Fla. Following his retirement, he volunteered for several years with a prison ministry in Tampa, Fla. In 1998, Mr. Hale joined his family in Biloxi and remained on the coast until August 2005, when he was relocated to Houston, Tex., following Hurricane Katrina. He returned to Mississippi July 2006 and resided in Tupelo until his death. He was a past member of the Full Gospel Businessmen in Tampa, Fla., and the Cedar Lake Assembly of God in Biloxi.
Mr. Hale was preceded in death by granddaughter, Shaun Marie Hale; also his wives, Winnifred Lucylle Hale, Doris Zimmerman Hale, and Mary Rose Dawson Hale.
He is survived by his son, David (Lucy) of Tupelo; his grandson, Timothy (Ann) of Whiteman AFB, Mo.
The family would like to thank the staff and residents of the AvonLea Retirement Community for the care they provided Mr. Hale throughout the last months.