Lee Hall, legendary track and wrestling coach at Connell High School, passed away on October 8, 2024, at 87 years of age. Lee was a devout Christian, a dedicated family man, a role model to his students and athletes, a fisherman, hunter, golfer, and world traveler. He was the patriarch of the Hall family with three children, six grandchildren and four great grandchildren who loved him dearly.

Darwin "Lee" Hall was born in Bonners Ferry, Idaho on October 11, 1936. His mother, Leona Verona Callahan, and his father, Faye Hall, raised him in Sandpoint, Idaho with his younger brother Gary. He tragically lost his father and uncle in a duck hunting accident when he was six years old, and subsequently had two loving step-fathers.

Lee still holds the 400m school record at his high school, a record that has lasted 69 years. Lee said he gained his speed by running home for lunch, one mile each direction, throughout elementary and Jr. High school.

Lee married his high school sweetheart, Joyce Meeker Hall, when they were twenty years old and they remained married for 67 years. The newlyweds moved to Pullman, Washington where Lee ran track for WSU and earned his undergraduate and Masters degree in Physical Education. Lee and Joyce had three children: Greg, Sheila, and Bryce.

Lee began teaching PE and coaching wrestling and track at Snohomish Jr. High (1960) and moved his family to Connell (1968-1990) where he continued teaching and coaching at the High School for the rest of his career. He coached track and field for 62 years. As a head coach, his teams won the track and field state championship 4 times and once more as an assistant coach. He also coached wrestling and his teams won state championships 3 times. He was inducted into the Washington State Wrestling Hall of Fame (1990), and the National Hall of Fame (2022), as well as the Washington State Track and Field Hall of Fame (2022). His athletes often said they surpassed their own expectations because Coach Hall believed in them.

Lee always valued athleticism. All three of his children were individual state champions in high school and competed in sports at the college level. Discussion around the dinner table often included advice about marrying an athlete to maintain the Hall athletic dynasty and that notion has prevailed for generations.

When their children were young, their family of five would take annual summer trips to Canada, the San Juan Islands, Eugene for the Olympics Trials, Washington D.C., and many National Parks. They often traveled with their boat, the "Hall Craft," and their tent trailer and enjoyed fishing, crabbing, and playing card games late into the night. Also, during the summer, Lee would take the family to O'Sullivan Dam each Sunday to spend the day swimming, water skiing, eating, and playing volleyball on the dunes with other church members. Impressively, Lee water skied with his grandchildren into his 80's.

Lee loved to hunt, fish, golf, and play bridge, poker, and cards. He was an expert marksman and shot his first buck in Northern Idaho at 12 years old. He enjoyed hunting duck, pheasant, and big game with his two sons and his buddies. At 85 years of age he shot a mule deer in Montana. He traveled to Alaska most summers to fish for salmon with his family. He taught his wife and children to play golf and participated in many golf leagues. Lee and Joyce snow-birded down to Yuma where they lived on a golf resort. Lee set up family golf scrambles, creating teams and handicaps, which could become quite competitive and always fun. He continued playing golf until recently and shot his age a dozen times over the last four years.

Lee and Joyce loved to travel and take cruises; they visited Alaska, Hawaii, the Greek Islands, Australia, New Zealand and many more. They loved to support their children and grandchildren as their number one fans, frequently flying to watch them compete in wrestling, track and field, gymnastics, cross country, basketball, and golf.

Lee is survived by his wife Joyce Hall, and two of his children Greg Hall (Kellie) and Sheila Schroder (Steve). He was preceded in death by his youngest son Bryce Hall (survived by Diana). Lee and Joyce had 6 grandchildren, Ryan, Jayme, Connor, Chloe and Mackenzie Hall and Zachary Schroder, and 4 great grandchildren, Camden and Madeline Cey and Hudson and Brooklyn Johnson. Lee was further survived by many other relatives and friends.

A Celebration of life will be held on November 2nd, 2024 at 1:00pm at West Highlands United Methodist Church in Kennewick, Washington.