Keith Rex Hallett, age 87 of Ada, went to be with his Lord and beloved wife Carole Ann. He is preceded in death by his wife of 33 years. Keith is survived by his children, Robert (Betty) Hallett, Irene (Daniel) Jacobsen; grandchildren, Katie Hallett, Carole (Kyle) Cooker, Robert (Brittany) Hallett, Kirsten (Daniel) Laureano; great-grandchildren, Bristol Hallett, Hendrix Cooker, Rex Hallett, Emma Laureano, Lilly Laureano, and Harper Cooker who will be born in late November 2020. He was born in Bristol, England and lived through WWII there. In 1941 he was 8 and had to be evacuated to Sherfield to live with cousins and spent the next 2 years with them. In 1945 Keith remembered being in Kings Cinema where they announced that the war in Europe had ended. At age 16 he entered National Sea Training School where he learned about life at sea. Keith signed onto to Cunard White Star Line in 1951 where he traveled on many Transatlantic voyages. In 1954 he accepted work as a waiter at Castle Harbour Hotel in Bermuda. He then signed onto TSS Ocean Monarch where he traveled to and from Bermuda and NYC. He met his wife Carole in 1955 in Bermuda and they continued their romance in NYC. In January 1956 they were married in NYC at The Little Church Around the Corner. Carole had family in Michigan, and they ended up settling in the Grand Rapids area where Keith worked as an Insurance Representative for 40+ years with Sun Life of Canada, Jackson National, and Time Incorporated and raised their family. Keith was loved by all who met him with his wonderful wit and charm of a true Englishman. Private family burial at sea to be held at a later date in California. Memorial contributions may be made to The Humane Society, 3077 Wilson NW Grand Rapids, MI 49534.
Keith Rex Hallett
06/03/1933
10/10/2020
7 Responses
A nice man. Always nice to the kids and a loving guy. Always here for you.
So sorry for your loss. He was such a generous, funny and nice person. I always enjoyed his visits to Southern California.
Irene – Thoughts and prayers to you and your family. Love – Mike, Ryan, Lindsey and Brandie
So sorry for your loss, I know how much fun you guys had together. Sending thoughts and prayers to you and your family.
Irene, Bob, and family ~ I am so very sorry for the loss of your Father, Grandfather, and Great Grandfather. My memories of time spent with your family will always be special to me. I remember loving to simply listen to, and being mesmerized by, his wonderful Bristol accent. It was great to reconnect with him these past years. My heart goes out to each of you at this sorrowful time.
Phyllis (Anderson) McLaughlin
Granddaughter of Martin and Marie (Nelson) Anderson
Thinking of you and your family. At this time. You dad was such a sweet man that was genuinely interested in everyone. It was always a pleasure talking to him.
I’m not related to Keith, nor an old friend. I’m just a random guy who Keith helped. Several years ago I was researching my family in Bristol. They lived at 23 Alfred Street in the 1930s to mid-40s. I discovered Keith lived just a few houses from them and I reached out to him via a Bristol website. He very kindly got back to me and shared a lot of information about Alfred Street, Bristol and what life was like at that time.
He answered a bunch of emails and was very generous with his time.
I came across another webpage with his name on it discussing the history of Bedminster so I punched his name and Grand Rapids in Google and came across his obituary.
I know it’s several years late and no one from the family will likely read this, but I still wanted to offer my belated condolences to a very kind and generous man.
RIP Keith… thanks for sharing your knowledge.