Glenn W. Hall

June 1, 1925 - July 30, 2022
We have lost a giant of a man. Glenn Wilber Hall passed away July 30, 2022 at Nanaimo Regional Hospital. He was 97 years old.
Glenn is survived by his wife Eileen, who has been by his side for almost 73 years; and children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren: Gary (Marsha), Glenn S. (Sama); Heather (Tormay), Dallas, Kelsey (Nick), Page, Cole (Lianne), Alaya; Debi, Tyler, Keaton and Koltyr, Nolan (Kaity), Elliot and Lowen.
Glenn was the sole remaining sibling of a very close set of six brothers and sisters (Madeline, Lorraine, Audrey, Jack, and Doug), but his brother-in-law George (Madeline) still holds court at Nanaimo Seniors Village. Glenn was a committed uncle to his sisters' and brothers' children. Family was always central to the original Hall clan and Glenn and Eileen built that conviction into their own family. We are very grateful.
Glenn was a prairie boy born in 1925 at Saskatoon. He enlisted in the Royal Canadian Airforce in 1942 as a 17-year old. He was trained as a navigator and air gunner, graduating in 1943. He served with distinction in Europe, in the thick of the air battle, as a 19 and 20-year old.
Peace brought him into the orbit of Eileen and they were married in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan in 1949. They came out to BC and found they liked it here. They moved to Nanaimo and had their first of three children in 1951, while Glenn pursued a career in forestry with MacMillan Bloedel. In 1955 his post-war university education, and his leadership skills, resulted in promotion to a Divisional Logging Manager for the company. He ran big camps in Menzies Bay, Northwest Bay, and Franklin River.
Glenn formed an early view that being able to speak well in public would be important in life. He joined Toast Masters and went on to excel within that organization. His ability to inject humour into his presentations was notable throughout his life. Glenn believed in community service and joined Gyros. He would eventually become a regional president of that organization and served decades with them. He was an avid golfer and he and Eileen took out a family membership in the Nanaimo Golf Club in 1962. They have been a presence there since that time with Glenn serving on the Board of Directors for many years.
By 1962 he was promoted to Regional Logging Manager for MacMillan Bloedel for all their coastal BC regions. By 1974 he and Eileen moved to Vancouver where he took on the role of Director of Labour and Industrial Relations for the entire company.
In 1982 he was nominated by the forest industry to become a Commissioner of the Workers' Compensation Board, and assumed the role of Chair of the WCB in 1986. He demonstrated an entrepreneurial flair when he eventually left the WCB and set up a consulting business in that field. He and Eileen moved back to Nanaimo in 1991 while he continued his consulting work, representing both industry and individuals who needed help. His last professional accomplishment was at the age of 84 when he won an appeal of a WCB decision that he felt had not gone far enough in helping an individual worker.
There will be an 11:30 a.m. Memorial Mass, August 13, 2022 at Trinity Catholic Church, 6234 Spartan Road in north Nanaimo. A brief reception will follow at the church.
In lieu of flowers we ask that donations be made to the Nanaimo & District Hospital Foundation.