Elizabeth Yowell Hall

1927 - 2026

Elizabeth Yowell Hall

April 12, 1927 - February 9, 2026

Elizabeth Yowell Hall died on February 9, 2026. She was ninety-eight years old.

Betty grew up in Madison County in a happy home facing Old Rag Mountain with five brothers and two sisters. Her siblings, their spouses, and her parents, A. Waverly Yowell and Elizabeth Hale Yowell, predeceased her. Devotion to family, service to country, resilience, generosity, strong work ethic, and a humorous take on life were values acquired early on and evident during three quarters of a century living in Richmond's Northside.

Betty graduated from Criglersville High School and Mary Washington College, where she trained to be a dietitian. Exercise and a healthy diet (eat to live, don't live to eat, she advised less disciplined family members) became foundations of a "moderation in all things" lifestyle that sustained her through nearly ten decades.

Following college, Betty worked in Detroit and then took a teaching job in Northumberland County where she met Thomas Edward Hall Jr., an aspiring mechanical engineer. After a brief courtship, they married and settled in Richmond, where they raised their three children. Betty justly took credit for channeling her introverted husband's talents to productive ends and inducing him to travel the world.

Betty's marriage to Tom began a life-long association with Northumberland County and his family's farm there. She encouraged her children to restore a nineteenth-century house on the property and helped it become a focus of family fun and relaxation. It didn't hurt that she was a superb cook who knew that many happy memories were created over shared meals.

Outgoing and sincerely interested in everyone she met, Betty was a guiding force in the lives of her children and grandchildren. She was wise, sensible, patient and fun to be with. Gran, as she was known to her grandchildren and son-in-law, was steadfastly cheerful and earned many nicknames over the years, including The Rock.

She rounded out a busy life with church; active memberships in the Ginter Park Garden, Women's, and Book Reviewers Clubs; and support of many charitable organizations. She was especially interested in Northumberland Public Library, The New Community School, and Northumberland Family YMCA.

She was predeceased by Tom and her son Robert E. Hall. She is survived by her children Elizabeth Hargrove (Frank) and T. Edward Hall III; grandchildren Oriana Fletcher (Doug), Sarah Hargrove, and Frank Hargrove III (Lindsey); and great-grandchildren, Douglas Fletcher III, Thomas Fletcher, and Frank Hargrove IV.

Betty's family will miss her unfailing good humor, wisdom, loyalty, and vivid memory. Over a long life she kept acquiring new friends and admirers and was much loved.

A memorial service will be held at River Road Church, Baptist, 8000 River Road, Richmond, VA 23229, at 11 a.m. on Monday, February 16, 2026. Burial in St. Stephen's Episcopal Church Cemetery in Heathsville, Virginia, will be private.

Those wishing to make a gift in Betty's memory might consider The Virginia War Memorial Foundation, 621 South Belvidere Street, Richmond, VA 23220, (Betty's oldest brother, Robert Yowell, was killed in action during World War II); or The New Community School, 4211 Hermitage Road, Richmond, VA 23227.