Mary Hall

Mary Jean O'Sullivan Hall was born March 12, 1923, and died March 26, 2014.

Landing a 45-pound 48-inch striped bass was nothing out of the ordinary for this diminutive dynamo -- all four foot ten of her. The family's eyes when deer hunting, she made sure the "bacon" was spotted and brought home.

Born in southern California in 1923, she went on to graduate from Fullerton High School and then onto college.

World War Two interrupted her education, but not her marriage to William O'Sullivan. That union brought forth two children. Kay and Bill.

Soon, they were living near the Sierra Mountains and were constantly camping and trout fishing in the streams south of Yosemite.

Thanks to the Air Force the family moved to Mountain Home, Idaho, in 1957, where they continued to fish and hunt.

Mom found employment as a Juvenile Probation Officer -- a never-ending embarrassment to her two teenage children.

Her daughter's boyfriends soon discovered that "Old Grumbler" kept a careful, jaundiced eye on each and every one. To this day, one fellow still remembers her constant, less than flattering feedback.

Camping, fishing and social organizations continued to occupy much of life in those years.

Tragedy struck when her husband was killed in a hunting accident,

Several years later she married Lewis C. Hall, a retired Navy man. She must of liked military men!

Fishing, camping and hunting continued to be a major part of her life. Mary Jean was a master Kokanee fisherwoman and her eyes for spotting trophy bucks only improved, much to the delight of her new husband.

They had many adventures, but none greater than the evening mom's snowmobile fell through the ice at the tail of Anderson Reservoir! Luckily for her, she landed at the very mouth of the Middle Fork of the Boise River in shallow icy water. The ice towered six feet over her head as the reservoir had lowered its water level since the ice had frozen.

Standing on her snowmobile, she was magically rescued by Lewis, who rushed at 60 miles per hour to the nearest occupied building -- a tavern. The men were shooed out and somehow retrieved the snowmobile while the women of the establishment warmed her by a large wood stove.

The couple snow-birded for a number of years before settling in Overton. Nev., and after Lewis's death she moved to Coos Bay, Ore., living in Shore Pines Bay Village.

She soon had many new friends and activities, including church and the local North Bend Senior Center. She loved, even at the age of 90, helping all of those old people.

Because of her small size, she constantly had to modify her clothes. Even those purchased in petite sizes had to be shortened or otherwise re-fitted.

Being a very religious person. the family is sure that if God needs a trophy buck to be spotted, or a shirt to he repaired, Mom is the one there to do it. Go Mom!

She is survived by her daughter, Kay Nowlin, and her son, Bill, and his wife, Jonnie O'Sullivan, her brother, John Vetter, and his wife, Gloria, step-children Karen and Mike Robinson and numerous nieces and nephews. Also, we cannot leave out the most important member of her family -- her cat, Duey.

Arrangements are under the direction of Nelson's Bay Area Mortuary, 405 Elrod, Coos Bay, Ore.