KENNETH W. HALL SR.

Kenneth W. Hall was born on June 8, 1932, to Maxwell and Velva Hall in Smithfield, Nebraska.

He passed away on August 15 in Albany, Oregon.

Ken was a big man with a big personality who rarely met a stranger. He and his brothers grew up during the height of the Great Depression. They invented board games, roamed the countryside, and got into mischief.

Kenny, especially, was always just a step ahead of getting into trouble with Mom.

Ken graduated from Elwood (NE) High School in 1948 at age sixteen. He spent the next year working and saving for college. In the fall of 1949, he enrolled at York College, majoring in architecture.

He was a star athlete, participating in football, basketball, and track.

Many of his track records stood for decades.

In 1953, Ken volunteered for the Army and served during the Korean conflict. Since he could type, he was assigned as a company clerk. Upon returning home, Ken continued his college education.

In 1956, he met and married a beautiful young woman, Elvira Sandquist. Since it was Ellie’s lifelong ambition to move to Oregon, off they went. The young couple settled in Albany, where Ken found employment at Oregon Metallurgical (OreMet).

Over the next ten years, he honed his skills in the test lab. In the late 1960s, he and a colleague from OreMet formed their own metallurgical company, Koon-Hall Testing.

During the 1960s, Ken and Ellie built their dream home in Albany and welcomed their children, Connie, Kenneth Jr., and Timothy.

In 1987, Ken and Ellie moved to Portland when Koon-Hall opened a second location. After retiring from the company, they spent their winters in their home in Cathedral City, California.

In the early 2000s, Ken started another company, this time with his sons. Cencast Mfg. was another success, and Ken spent the next decade doing what he loved: being part of a business. In 2016, Ken and Ellie returned to Albany. In his second retirement, he enjoyed working outdoors and visiting family.

Ken is survived by his wife, Elvira; daughter Connie (Alan); sons Ken Jr. (Sherry) and Tim (Sandi); grandchildren Nick, Alex, Chris, Ken III, Steven, Marisa, and Michael; and greatgrandchildren Eli, Ben, Marcus, Annie, and Audrey.

Ken will be remembered for his largerthan- life personality, his love of family, his entrepreneurial spirit, and his lifelong willingness to work, create, and stay involved.