John Ellis Hale

John Ellis Hale Passed away peacefully in San Rafael on April 13, 2013. John was born in Berkeley, California on January 17, 1927. He went to his mother's Montessori pre-school for two years. He always attributed this early schooling to his grasp of shape and space which later came in handy as an engineer. During WWII John was on the aircraft carrier Shangri-La. He then came home to graduate from UC Berkeley. He was president of the Kappa Sigma fraternity. John built dams in Afghanistan from 1951-1954 as cost estimator, photographer and pay master. In 1956 John was hired by Bechtel Corporation and traveled to over 100 countries for business and pleasure. By 1957, in Houston he met his wife Ethel (Bittey) Bemis of Prescott, Arkansas. They eloped and moved to Kentfield and had two children Kate and Peter. The Hales moved to London, England from 1971-1976. John is preceded in death by his wife of 47 years, Bittey who passed in April of 2004. He and Bittey lived life to the fullest. John leaves behind his daughter Kate Hale and her two sons Jack and Alec Zeitoun, and his son Peter Hale and his wife Fr‚d‚rique Louis and their two children Keenan and Tristan Hale. How fortunate we were to have had the gift of his cheery personality and charm! We will miss him dearly. A celebration of John's life will be held at his Larkspur home.