Patricia “Patty” Hall and Charles “Gene” Hall
Washington County, OH – Who doesn’t like a good puzzle? Whether it’s the crossword in the Sunday paper or a riddle between friends for laughs, puzzles are a great source of entertainment. However, they can also be a great source for keeping information hidden or passing along information that may save a life in dire circumstances.
After graduating from Mountain State College in 1952, Charles “Gene” Eugene Hall would spend the next four years of his life as a Cryptographic Operator & Supervisor for the United States Air Force Security Services.
While Cryptology is the study of code-breaking and code-creating, a Cryptographer takes a more hands-on approach. Gene Hall would dive into the world of concealing confidential information away from the prying eyes of the States’ enemies… until he met the cipher who would crack the code to his heart: Patricia Cline.
Patricia “Patty” Ann Cline, graduated from Pomeroy High School and found employment up the Ohio River at Remington Rand in Marietta. Patty first met Gene after he had returned home from his service.
Her older brother, Jack Cline, introduced the pair and they would soon tie-the-knot on November 1st, 1956. Gene would go on to graduate from Ohio University with a degree in Business Administration, and the couple would become business partners in 1962.
Owning several local Mary Carter Paint stores, the Halls would go on to expand their business career by acquiring Pace Oil Company in 1973. During this time, Gene also held various positions at Wilcox Construction Company and later became the Co-Founder and CEO of Power Maintenance, Inc.
Though they may have been hard at work, the Halls never forgot what truly mattered. As they would build their businesses, they would put even more focus on building their family, celebrating the birth of a daughter, Candice Hall-Cisler, and two sons, Kevin Mark Hall and Jon Charles Hall.
Growing up, the Hall children were enamored not only by their parents’ work ethic but also their fitness levels. Gene was an avid golfer and Patty was an active tennis player. Because of their parent’s active lifestyle, the siblings would often find themselves taking part in athletic-based activities at the Marietta Family YMCA.
“My family has been a YMCA family as far back as I can remember,” said Candice. “My brothers and I learned to swim at the Y. I also took tennis lessons and even baton twirling! My mother would always laugh when she remembered taking group exercise lessons with her friends, and sister-in-law.”
However, it wasn’t their father’s ability to swing a golf club or their mother’s skill on the tennis court that would leave such a lasting impression on the Hall children… instead, it was their generosity.
One afternoon, as Patty was driving from Lowell to Marietta, she saw an elderly woman who had broken down on the side of the road. The weather was bad and back then there were no cellphones to use… in a sense the elderly lady was stranded.
Candice recalls her mother going to the nearest gas station, Don Schaffer’s in Devola, telling them about the woman, and then paying for the attendant to tow her car back to the shop.
Days later the woman wrote into The Marietta Times about the kindness of this action. In her letter, she shared how her husband had become ill and she had been spending many hours by his bedside at the hospital. On her way home from her latest visit, the muffler on her car fell off causing the car to become inoperable… thankfully Patty Hall’s generosity was fully operational.
It was situations like this that would shape the Hall's legacy, even after Gene and Patty’s passing. On Christmas Eve in 2013, Gene passed away at Marietta Memorial Hospital. Patty was reunited with her husband on Thanksgiving Day in 2020, but their legacy continues to thrive.
The Hall children were able to witness one last act of generosity from their parents. An act that will inevitably leave a lasting impact for years to come. Gene and Patty Hall named Marietta Community Foundation in their estate plans and thereby became 1788 Legacy Society members.
Their legacy will go on to help organizations the family held dear, such as the YMCA, but a large portion has been given to the Foundation’s Washington County Hardship & Disaster Relief Fund. A fund dedicated to helping Washington County citizens when difficult circumstances unexpectedly arise.
“The donations will be used locally,” said Candice. “The Foundation is well run and seems to really be in touch with the needs and future development of Washington County.”
There was no enigma or puzzle when it came to Gene and Patty Hall’s life… they simply cared for others in need. Even in death, the couple continues to carry on this ideology, assisting those who need it most.
You don’t need an extensive background in Cryptology to see that the Hall family has “cracked-the-code” on a meaningful life.
If you would like to honor the memory of a loved one by creating a philanthropic legacy please contact Heather Allender, President & CEO of Marietta Community Foundation at heather@mcfohio.org.