Albert M. "Al" Hala

From my FB timeline: On December 15, 2003, my only sibling, Albert, died suddenly at age 19. When al died, in many ways, time stopped and a division formed in my brain. Kinda like BCE and CE but rather before and after al. Every memory now exists for me on a timeline of happening before or after his existence. I think about things that I bought, like my first car I purchased on my own was after al died. Or, the last time I was at this restaurant, I had a brother. I have been...

Hi Al,

Mom, Laura (she came in from Toledo) and I visited you on December 15th. We miss you very much. Although that date is especially terrible for us, we still gather to say "hello". At least, the weather was very nice.

We also stopped at Grandma & Grandpa Hala's grave as well as Uncle Bob's.

Miss You
Dad

Hi Al,
Yesterday was your birthday. Mom and I visited you and said hello to Grandma and Grandpa Hala and to Uncle Bob. You never knew your grandpa but you two would have gotten along very well.

To our surprise, there were 3 balloons tied to a teddy bear. One balloon wished you a "Happy Birthday", another had "We miss you" and the third said "We love you". Mom and I later found out that your sister, Laura, had them placed. She has a lot going on in her life and it is very...

Al, I stopped by to mark with you, the start of another year. The wreath we placed on the 15th. of December is still there. However, it is populated with a teddy bear and another one close by. In the ground, I found your name spelled out in wood letters.

I do not know who is leaving these remembrances, but I am sure AL appreciates them. I am so pleased and thankful that Al had friends who cared this much.

Thank You
Al's Dad

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Hala,
I am so very sorry to hear about Al. I was one of his teachers at Lawrence School. I will always remember Al for his warm smile and great sense of humor. He was always able to find humor in everything and followed it up with a great laugh. He will be remembered warmly.
You are in my prayers.
Lisa Ozello

John, Carol and Laura,

We were so saddened to hear the news of Albert's passing. He was such a sweet and caring young man.

You are all in our prayers.

If there's anything we can do, please get in touch with us.

Sincerely,

Earl and Angela Snyder

Uncle John, Aunt Carol, Laura and Aaron,

Even though the funeral is now over, I still cannot bear the thought that Al is gone. I am so glad that I got to spend that evening with you three (minus Laura and Aaron) at that Italian resturant in MI when you visited June in the spring of this year. I remember him and I eating calamari. He had so many interests and was so easy going which always made for a good conversation. I'll miss that. I am going to dig out that picutre of him...

Carol, We are so sorry for your
loss. Please accept our deepest
condolences.

Dear Uncle John, Aunt Carol and Laura,

I will always remember Albert and the times we shared together during Christmas at Great-Grandma's house. I wish that we had all spent more time together as the years went on so that I could have seen him grow into a young man. Our thoughts are with you during this time.

Love,

Dean and Briana