Robert Hall

1943 - 2021

Robert Hall
June 15, 1943 - September 15, 2021
Olympia, Washington - Robert (Rob) Christopher Hall lost his battle with gastric cancer on September 15, 2021. Born in 1943, the mold was clearly thrown away when Rob came into this world.
Rob lived in Olympia since 1959, when his parents Dr. Robert P. and Virginia Louise (Lu) Hall moved to Olympia from Sunnyside, WA. Rob enjoyed growing up in the lower Yakima valley – raising cows, picking strawberries, cutting asparagus, building climbing ropes, and playing near the Roza Canal (a forbidden hobby). He also spent a great deal of time in western Montana with his beloved grandmother, Elma Mae Fike, who raised Saddlebred horses. He loved riding in the hills adjacent to the Bitterroot Mountains.
Rob was a good athlete. He played basketball for the Olympia High School Bears, and went to the state championships, where they unfortunately lost. He spent one semester at Whitman College in Walla Walla, and after running away with the second term's tuition money, he spent several months selling magazines in the Hawaiian Islands. He always tanned easily, so he fit right in.
He then went to the University of Washington. There, he got a BA and MA in History. He was a teaching assistant for Professor Giovanni Costigan and accompanied him and several classes to England. He also was a founding member of the UW Students for a Democratic Society (SDS). His education continued with attending the University of Kent in England where he earned his PhD.
Rob settled in Olympia, WA and essentially took up politics – Democratic, of course. He was very active in numerous campaigns and was known for his unique sign work, which is clearly against the law today. He worked for the Employment Security Department, the House of Representatives and the Department of Social and Health Services.
He had many hobbies: foremost reading (the house is filled with thousands of books), chess, guitar, pool, gardening, poker, and writing.
He is survived by his wife Yona Makowski, his two children, Liz and Bobby Hall, sister Gemma Medeiros, and several sisters-in-law, nieces, and nephews.
We plan to have a memorial/celebration of life at a later date – stay tuned. If you'd like to make a charitable donation in his name, please consider the Thurston County Food Bank.