John Barbee Hall III

John Barbee Hall III, beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother and friend, passed away on May 11, 2022, at the age of 69. He died at Fairbanks Memorial Hospital in Fairbanks, Alaska, the same city in which he was born and loved dearly. He was born on March 5, 1953, to Robert and Suzanne Hall, the third child of seven siblings.

As a child, John was known to his family as Tiger, and he lived up to his nickname. He was an outgoing, fun-loving, adventurous child. John grew up in a small log cabin in Slaterville, next to Kelly's tire shop and down the street from his grandparents, Dixie and Esther Hall. When John was 10, the family moved to California on a whim in search of warmer weather. They initially landed in Santa Rosa, California, then Ukiah, California, and finally settled in West Sacramento, California. John spent the rest of his childhood and teenage years in California. He met his wife, Debra Mesunas, in West Sacramento at the age of 14. Deb was the best friend of his sister, Felicity. As a teenager he participated in Sea Scouts on the American River, which was a formative experience that he remembered fondly. After graduating from high school, he moved to Atlanta, Georgia, where he discovered his dislike for urban sprawl, masses of people and the heat, but found his passion for carpentry.

After spending over 10 years in the Lower 48, he happily returned to Alaska where he worked as a surveyor for several years before starting a contracting business, Tanana Builders, in Fairbanks. His sister, Felicity, reintroduced him to Deb who was then attending the University of Alaska Fairbanks and, after becoming a nurse, she worked at Fairbanks Memorial Hospital for many years. They were married on March 24, 1984, and their daughter, Suzanne Marie Hall, was born later that year. Two more girls, Kathryn Lee Hall and Julia Renee Hall, followed within the next five years. John and his brother, Louis Hall, built a duplex on Second Avenue together which was beloved and very well lived in by both their families. John's family outgrew the duplex and after a brief and frustrating search for the "perfect" home, John and Deb decided to build. They found a great spot off Skyline Drive and the home, designed by John, was completed in 1998 with the help of family and friends.

John worked for the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District in school maintenance for a number of years, after which he was able to pursue his dream of gold mining. He was involved in mining with brother, Jasper Hall, cousins Tom and Jared Hall, and his uncle, John Barbee Hall II, at Linda Creek, north of Wiseman, Alaska. Of his diverse career endeavors, Compass Mining brought him the greatest joy. He also worked at Pogo Mine for several years and valued the friendships he built while working there. The last two years of his working life were spent at Brown's Electric, where his broad experience in all things industrial and his personable nature helped many people. After retirement he spent his time with his family traveling between Alaska and Hawaii.

John loved animals and children (especially babies) and was an avid reader and learner. He loved coffee, cigarettes (rolled his own), gold mining, motorcycles, and fast cars. He enjoyed creating and building beautiful and functional things, good conversation, humor, a lively debate, and a comfortable chair. John was a particular sort and had a specific way of doing pretty much everything. As an absolute perfectionist you couldn't find anyone to do anything better.

John is predeceased by his parents, Robert and Suzanne Hall, and his sister-in-law, Sue Larkins Hall. Left to cherish his memory are his wife, Debra Hall; daughters, Suzanne Jones (Matthew Jones), Kathryn Hall, Julia Kulmanovsky (Nicholas Kulmanovsky) and grandchildren Zara, Judah and Andrey; brothers, Louis and Jasper Hall (Eva Hall); sisters, Jenny Hall (John Love), Sarah Hall (Lee Weaver), Felicity Hall (Stan Tyree) and Esther Stoessel; and many nieces, nephews, great-nieces, great-nephews and many friends.

A celebration of life will be held at Chatanika Lodge around 6 p.m. Friday, May 20. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to the Fairbanks Animal Shelter or St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.