Harold L “Hal” Wilson
Born: June 1, 1931 in Lisco, Nebraska
Entered Heaven: July 2, 2020 from Chandler, Arizona
On July 2nd, our beloved Father gained his wings and reunited with his beloved wife of 60 years. He was surrounded by his children as he passed peacefully in his home. Dad was a decorated Marine that proudly served in the Korean War. He was a member and past unit President of the El Zaribah Shrine in Phoenix, a Free Mason, and a member of the American Legion.
Dad had a love for horses and everything western. He was always seen in his western shirt, jeans, and boots everywhere he went. Dad had a reputation in the Midwest for completing construction projects that presented special challenges. He never backed down when someone would say that “it can’t be done” and he proved them wrong. He built several bridges and structures in the Midwest and was one of the last great “Pile Drivers”.
Hal is survived by his three children, Mr. & Mrs. Michael Wilson of Gilbert, Arizona, Jeffrey Wilson of Chandler, Arizona and Mr. & Mrs. Daphne Patrick of Gilbert, Arizona, and his nine grandchildren.
The family will be having a private service in his behalf.
To quote a line from a George Strait song that fits dad: “This is where the cowboy rides away”.
In lieu of flowers, a donation in Dad’s name to The Shriner’s Hospitals for Children would be appreciated. The link for donations is https://www.shrinershospitalsforchildren.org/shc/donate or call: Donations: 1-844-739-0849
16 Comments
I love you Dad. You and mom are together again and we be forever. Thank you for showing me everything in my life.
Will miss you coming over for special holiday dinners! Happy you are resting in peace with Jan. You two angels watch over our grandkids, Connor and Payton!
I will miss you so much. Love you
I love you Uncle Hal. You have always been my inspration to love our familes with all of our strength. Rest well with Aunt Jan. I will miss yiu.
RIP Hal. You were always a role model, and we will cherish your memory.
Love you Grandpa you can rest easy now with grandma
So many great memories of him putting us girls in our place, plus we never had to wonder what he was thinking cause he told us. You will ne missed but glad you and Jan are back together. It’s a blessing that you & Jan are watching over your kids & grandchildren. May God Bless you, Jan & your entire family. Sending our hugs, love & prayers.
Lots of good memories being neighbors for 32 years. An era gone. Till we meet again.
Daddy~ I love you and miss you so much!! I know that you are now with mom and your both happy and watching down over us Please watch over Payton and Connor and give us signs so we know your there ! Rest In Peace now, you deserve it!~♥️
Hal was a 100% character with a dash of “Devil May Care“add in for good measure. I didn’t know him all of his 89 years, obviously, but I knew him for the last 30 or so. There are very few people outside of direct family, that I’ve laughed with as hard as I did with Hal. He had a story for everything and you got the feeling that just by sitting and talking with him you were spending time with somebody who had lived several lifetimes all in one.

Continue d… 30 years ago he was nowhere near as hard of hearing as he was when I saw him last summer, but you would never known it, he just smiled, winked and tuned out anybody he didn’t wanna hear. In fact if he didn’t want to talk with you…… you had a better chance of communicating with a stump

Continued…..
“Hal, Jan is calling for you.” “Who?” He asked with his face. “I know, she was calling for me an hour ago and she’ll be calling for me an hour from now, but you fellas are here and I’m outside, she knows where to find me.” But at some point in the afternoon he would be sure to get in the comment, “You know Dave, I complain, but she’s a good woman, far better than a broken down old man like me deserves.” I’ve never met anyone who could mean both comments with equal ferocity. His good-natured orneriness was to say the least “infective.”
He told me (for close to 30 years) to leave a quarter on the countertop anytime I was using his bathroom. Last year he raised it up to $.50, he smiled and said “inflation“. If you were over there working on cars, and left your toolbox open he would dig through it, not to see if you had anything of his in there, but to see if you had anything he wanted, you know tax for using his driveway.
i

. Continued…
He was a Marine, and he was at The Battle of Chosin Reservoir. Most of you are not going to know what that means……but a few of you will. He spoke of the cold, so bitter, that they wrapped a Jeep in a tarp and lay under the running engine trying to stay warm off the oil pan. As far as I know he died still carrying commie shrapnel in his shoulder. Nearly 70 years later the mark of that war was still on him, I know he went straight up and got his wings, because he had already been to hell at Chosin, plus the devil couldn’t handle the dressing down Hal would give him.
He would crack me up by saying things like “I would trade all of them for a broken spark plug…..I mean I have a chance at fixing that.” Then he would chuckle, because he was only playing to his audience.
His stubbornness may be legendary, but it was far out stripped by his kindness.

Continued….. I will always remember that even though he could lay down a blue streak rant a mile wide he loved his family, friends, and in his younger years a good scotch.
About a decade ago I stopped by to see him and Jan, I hadn’t been there in about 10 years, as I was walking up to the front door he was watering plants, he looked up and said “where the hell have you been you bastard?” I replied “I live in Colorado now.” “Well that’s no excuse for not visiting an old man.” And he was right. He smiled and shook my hand and opened up the front door. That is the Hal I will always remember.

continued…Having been through losing my dad and others close to me I know well in the moment of loss we all pause to reflect. Life here is only a series of moments, experienced by our corporeal selves, a collection of organized carbon and chemicals. Real life, true life, is much more. That feeling, in these moment, that saddness is not for the promotion and prolonging of the depressed state. It is for the correction of the feelings after the moment passed. The slights and stains that daily life leaves on us all. The roadmap that life impressed into our faces. It’s the learning that makes it all worth the trouble and toil. And into each of our days a few losses pass which remind us, do a better job here the real job lays ahead.

Continued…So I am here talking about my friend, who I will miss, on a medium I hate, in a place I detest, scrolling through a feed that stinks, but smiling anyway, because each complaint is bringing him joy on the other side. It is the moment….and now I get to go back to a life without it and keep the good stuff from Hal regardless.
Hal thanks for your smile, your frown, your laughter, your biblical orneriness, the advice, the stories and for serving our country.
You will be deeply missed.
Comments are closed.