Donald Hale

Donald W. “Don” Hale, 87, passed away on October 9, 2022, at Brook Gardens in Lake Mills surrounded by his family.

Don was born May 18, 1935, at St. Mary’s Hospital of Watertown, the son of Ervin and Mabel (Plantz) Hale. He attended Marshall High School and went on to serve his country from 1954-1956 in the United States Army.  In 1956, Don married Jean Coles and the couple had 6 children and shared 40 years of marriage until her death in 1996. Don was a gifted auto mechanic and on October 10, 1970, he opened his own business, Don’s Mobil Service, in Watertown. He owned the business for over 27 years. Don was a hard worker and eventually brought on his son to work with him at the shop and to go out and “rescue” people when their cars broke down. He retired in May of 1997 when his son took over the business. In his free time, he enjoyed flying airplanes, riding his motorcycle, doing puzzles and also volunteering at the food pantry. In October of 2010, Don married Jennifer in Marshall and the two shared 12 happy years of marriage. He will be dearly missed by those he leaves behind.

Don is survived by: his loving wife Jenny Hale of Jefferson; children Jeff (Dawn) Hale of Watertown, Scott Hale of Watertown, Mark (Tamara) Hale of Oconomowoc, Lori (Kevin) McLaughlin of Oconomowoc, Vicki (Mike) Ellis of Oconomowoc and Juli Hale of Oconomowoc; grandchildren Trevor, Connor, Luke, Eliza, Jasmine, Morgan and Spencer; great-grandchildren Mila, Luke, Nacia and Taeo; and cousin Percy Meyer. Don is also survived by a number of other relatives and friends.

Don is preceded in death by his parents, wife of 40 years Jean Hale, and siblings Joan and Gayle.

The family would like to extend a sincere thank you to the staff at Brook Gardens and Rainbow Hospice for the loving care provided.

A private family gathering will be held at a later date.