EDITH SHAWCROSS HALL

Edith Hall was born Edith Padden Shawcross in Oxford, England on March 25th, 1913, the daughter of Herbert Tuer Shawcross and Mabel Padden Higgs. She attended St. Hilda's College, Oxford University, where she was an avid tennis player who competed for her college team. She was a gifted writer and excelled at sewing, creating much of her own wardrobe. After earning a bachelor's degree she found herself contributing to the war effort by driving an ambulance for the Oxford Civil Defense Service. One autumn day in 1942 an American serviceman crossed her path in the Randolph Hotel pub – the chance beginning of a love affair that endured for 63 years. Edward N. Hall of the U.S. Army Air Corps courted Edith for nine months, and there was tennis involved. They married in June of 1943 and later moved stateside, ultimately settling in Rolling Hills Estates, California. Edith was a devoted wife and mother and always had time to help her friends, which were many. A talented athlete, tennis, dancing and swimming were among her passions. She read widely, loved a good game of Scrabble or bridge, and recited limericks with a twinkle in her eye. She supported her family throughout her life with indefatigable integrity, strength and grace. Her adored husband died in 2006, taking with him the focal point of her life and enthusiasm. At 96 Edith was remarkably healthy and active until she was felled by a stroke and subsequently passed away on May 12, 2009. Her children David, Jonathan and Sheila feel her loss keenly but our lives will always be enriched by her generous, caring and joyful spirit.