Obituary of John William Hall

Dr. John William Hall, of Canton NY, died peacefully on February 8, 2023, at the age of 92, with his two children by his side. John was born on June 23rd, 1930 in Lawrence, Massachusetts to the late John and Mary Hall and spent his childhood with his family on a farm in Freedom, Maine. After graduating from the University of Maine in 1952, he served in the U.S. army in Korea. After being discharged, he spent the rest of his time eagerly going back to education and enrolled in graduate programs at University of Maine (1954), St. Lawrence University (1956), and University of Maryland (1960). While in graduate school, he also worked in various teaching positions, such as a social studies teacher and a coach in Aroostook County, Maine (1954), and a teacher at Salmon River Central School in Fort Covington, N.Y. (1956). He joined the faculty of St. Lawrence University (SLU) in 1963, while continuing to work on his doctoral degree at University of Maryland. At SLU, he met Dorothy (Dotty) Querry, a professor and coach, and they married in 1967. During his time as a professor at SLU, he was involved in establishing and coordinating the North County School Boards Institute, chaired the Department of Education (1975-1977), served as the President of the Collegiate Association for the Development of Educational Administration in N.Y.S. (1975-1977), served as the President of the Congress of Administrative Organizations in N.Y.S. (1978-1980), established an Educational Administration Exchange with the Department of Educational Administration at McGill University, coordinated the Educational Administration Program at SLU, and presented his sabbatical research on stress management and problem solving across two Canadian provinces and four U.S. states. John retired in 2000 as a professor of education. When John wasn’t in the classroom, he enjoyed a simple life full of nature, family, and friends. He loved to spend time in his woodlot and tree farm in Russell, N.Y., in his large garden, chopping wood, driving around on his tracker, visiting with friends, celebrating his family’s accomplishments, and spending time at his log cabin cottage that he built in 1962 on the St. Lawrence River at Hopkins Point, Canada. John is survived by his wife Dotty, his two children, John Smillie Hall and wife Alice, and Kristen Hall Lamb and husband Gunner, his four grandchildren, James (Jake) Hall and wife Sam Carlson, Margaret (Maggie) Hall, William (Will) Lamb, and Carter Lamb, and his wide network of friends in the Canton area. He was predeceased by his two brothers, Kenneth and Daniel Hall. At the request of John, in lieu of services, family and close friends will gather in the summer to celebrate his life at his favorite places, his woodlot and his cottage. His family asks that you plant a tree in John’s memory, or donations may be made in his memory to the Alzheimer’s Association (https://www.alz.org/). Arrangements are under the care of Bruso-Desnoyers Funeral Service in Malone, N.Y. Friends may leave online condolences at www.brusofuneralservice.com.