Frank Stewart Hale, Ii

Frank S. Hale, age 92, of Middletown, Rhode Island, passed away at his home on Friday, July 12, 2019.

Frank was born in Newport, RI on November 26, 1926 to Harold D. Hale and Anne (Hughes) Hale. Growing up in Newport on Thurston Ave, he graduated from De La Salle Academy and enlisted in the US Army at age 17. He was stationed in the Pacific and served as a Battalion Radar Crew Chief. After his honorable discharge as a Sargent, he completed a post graduate year at the Portsmouth Abbey School then continued his studies at Syracuse University with a bachelors degree in Industrial Engineering, and then a bachelors degree from Northeastern University in Engineering Management. Later in his career he received an Advanced Engineering Certificate from Harvard/MIT and an MBA from URI.

The majority of Franks professional career was with Raytheon, where he served in several roles in the Submarine Signal Division, including a high security role on the staff of the Chief of Naval Operations, as well as positions in Business Development, Systems Engineer and Program Manager. After his Raytheon years, he founded his own consulting firm, Rhodes Engineering, working with the DOD and Navy.

Frank held a lifelong love of history, starting with his own family ancestry and their role in Rhode Island history, including RI Colonial Governor Caleb Carr, Revolutionary War heroes Capt. Nathan Hale, Capt Moses Fields, and Capt. Jaheel Brenton, the first Commanding Officer of the Artillery Company of Newport. Frank himself was a longtime member of the Artillery Company, reaching the rank of Colonel and served as the Commanding Officer for several years. He further developed his appreciation of local history joining the Ft Adams Trust, the Aquidneck Island Bicentennial Commission, and was a founder and first Board President of the Ft. Adams Trust, and an active member of the Sons of the Revolution, serving as President of the RI Society and Executive Committee member of the General Society for the Sons of the Revolution. He loved to live in old homes, and spend time restoring their character to their original condition, more recently in his Middletown home the Lyman Joseph House Windemere and previously in their Malbone Road and Powell Ave homes.

He was also a longtime supporter of the Preservation Society of Newport County, Redwood Library, Newport Historical Society, Middletown Historical Society, and the Eastons Point Association.

Frank also shared a strong faith with his wife Carol. He was a lifelong member of St. Josephs Church, where he donated food to the Soup Kitchen, served as a lector, a member of the Serra Club, and a host for the Christian Family Movement. He and Carol shared 61 years of marriage, and they always brought out the best in each other.

He is survived by his wife Carol Hale, his daughters Pamela Hale of Newport, Suzanne Hale of Middletown, and Lisabeth Williams and her husband Scott of Newport, and his sisters Jane Hale and Suzanne Nunes, both of Middletown. He also leaves four grandchildren, Bruce Anthony, Haley Noelle, Gregory Stewart Moniz and Andrew Hale Williams.

He was preceded in death by his siblings Barbara Ford, Harold Bud Hale Jr, Mary Petsy Silvia, and Robert Johnny Hale.

Calling hours will be held on Thursday, July 18 from 4:00-7:00pm at the Memorial Funeral Home, 375 Broadway, Newport.

Funeral services will be held on Friday, July 19 with a Mass of Christian Burial at 9:30am in St. Josephs Church, Broadway and Mann Ave, Newport. Burial with military honors will follow at St. Columba Cemetery, Middletown.

Memorial donations may be made to the St. Josephs Soup Kitchen, 5 Mann Ave, Newport, RI 02840 or to the charity of your choice.

Additional information at www.memorialfuneralhome.com