Jane Carroll Hall

1932 - 2022

Jane Carroll Hall
May 31, 1932 - October 6, 2022
Raleigh, North Carolina - Jane Elizabeth Carroll Hall, daughter, sister, wife, mother, grandmother, friend has left us. She didn't want to go; Jane still had things to do and people to do them with. In her 90 years she steadied one headstrong husband, raised five very different children, and became a nationally known quilt artist, teacher, judge, and author.

Jane Elizabeth Carroll arrived in Rochester, New York, on May 31, 1932. She grew up in Oswego and graduated valedictorian from her high school, then studied pre-law at Cornell University and graduated with Honors in 1953. She worked for Proctor and Gamble doing Market Research, planning to go on to Law School.

That changed when she met Robert Hall, an Army doctor from Raleigh who had served in World War II and Korea. Bob was tall, idealistic, and drove a green Buick convertible. They married on November 7, 1954, and started a family. Her children followed: Mike, Sue, Betsy, Tom, and Jenny.

So did the transfers all around the world. With her positive attitude and organizational superpowers, Jane made every new place feel like home to her growing family. She was a true partner to Bob, or as he was known in the Army, Col. Hall.

When the family was stationed in Hawaii and she saw an antique Hawaiian quilt in a museum, she decided to learn how to make one herself. It took a year to craft the top alone. By the time Jane began the actual hand quilting of it, the family had moved to San Antonio. She finished six months later, entered her piece in the Houston Quilt Show, and "Piko Haleakela" won Best of Show. Jane was smitten.

Jane made countless award-winning quilts, became a nationally certified quilt teacher, judge, and appraiser, and was invited to guilds around the country to teach and judge. She once gave a presentation at a quilt shop in Paris, complete with an interpreter. She wrote many articles about quilts and co-authored numerous books with Dixie Haywood, a quilter from Pensacola. You can see Jane's work at [janehallquilts.com]

The family moved to Raleigh in 1979 when Bob became Director of the Wake County Health Department. Once Bob retired in 1986, they began to take long annual trips abroad, particularly enjoying England and France.

After Bob died in 2011 at age 93, Jane moved into the Cypress, a retirement community in north Raleigh. As Jane had done numerous times before, she made a home of her new surroundings. She also made some of the best friends she ever had. Many nights would find Jane and her friends sitting around and drinking wine and talking about their lives. Sometimes she would look around and say, "Who would have thought we'd make new friends at this age?"

At the Cypress, Jane was active in Creative Threads, a group of fiber artists that met weekly and made quilts, blankets, bibs, and pillows for hospitals, Meals on Wheels, and the Rosewood rehab center. Early in the Covid-19 pandemic, she made beautiful face masks out of her quilting materials and delivered them to other residents. Soon Creative Threads was making masks for staff and residents of the Rosewood.

Jane was a proud progressive in a conservative state. She was also proud to display the American flag on holidays. Jane was a patriot.

She always had a smile and a laugh-and a glass-half-full view of the world. Her personality was on full display when she volunteered weekly at Urban Ministries, which provides medicines for the uninsured, a food pantry, and emergency shelter. Jane held down the front desk and helped walk-ins figure out who could help them best.

She cared deeply for her friends and showed it whenever she could. Jane wasn't a church-goer, but as her friend Connie said, "I don't know a more Christian person than Jane. I don't think we can name all the people she has quietly stood by and helped through their challenges."

Jane had her own challenges, but after recuperating from each surgery or bout of chemotherapy, she would always pop back up again. "I feel like I'm being nibbled to death by ducks," she would say with a chuckle. Jane rarely let her mood stay low for long. She was always saying how lucky she was to have had her husband, her kids, and her friends. At the end, she knew how loved she was. And she knew how much we will all miss her and keep her alive in our memories.

Jane is survived by her children Jenny, Betsy, Sue, Mike, and Danny (and their spouses); numerous nieces, nephews, grandchildren and great grandchildren; her sisters Debby and Sue (and Fred); and her beloved cat Chessie. They would all like to thank the tireless and loving caregivers from the Cypress who helped Jane on her latest journey.

Jane will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery with Bob. A celebration of Jane and her life will be held October 26 at 4 pm in the Ballroom at the Cypress of Raleigh, 8801 Cypress Lakes Drive. Parking is limited-please carpool if you can. Instead of sending flowers, please consider making a donation in her honor to either of two Raleigh groups she supported: Urban Ministries [urbanmin.org] or Interfaith Food Shuttle [foodshuttle.org].