John Douglas (Papajon) Hall
John was born April 18, 1939, in Cardston Alberta to Kenneth Douglas & Tomene Hannah Hall
(Woolford). He was the oldest of 3 children having a sister Priscilla (Craig) Stutz & brother Merlin
(Maureen) Hall.
Dad was raised in a home built by his father and grandfather, John Woolford. Dad called it “the best
neighborhood ever.” There he made childhood friends that lasted a lifetime. John was very close to his
Grandparents John and Mary Woolford (Nelson) and spent most weekends and all summers at their
farm. He rode horses, herded cows and ran farm machinery. He learned to work hard, which he did all
his life. At thirteen years old, his grandfather gave him his own team of horses that allowed him to go
around hauling bundles at thrashing time.
As John was close to his grandparents, he was very close to his grandchildren. John was blessed with 14
grandchildren and 19 great grandchildren. He loved spending time with them. They have many
memories going skiing, fishing, getting driving lessons long before they had licenses, going out for
Chinese food or a milkshake, and spending summers just hanging out at his house.
Dad loved cars. He always had a nice vehicle, and it was always clean. At 15 years old, his Grandpa
Woolford helped him get his license and first car, a 1951 2 Door Plymouth that was blue and white. His
parents were concerned he was too young, but Dad felt it was “a turning point in his life”. In recent
years, you could see him driving around town in his Red Lincoln Truck, with the license plate “Papajon.”
In January 1958, he left grade 12 after one semester and went looking for work; he found a job with a
division of Calgary Power, Farm Electric. On February 12, 1958, he got a call to be in Black Diamond &
Turner Valley as soon as possible! His career with Calgary Power and TransAlta spanned over 34 years
where he was a lineman and District Manager. He enjoyed his job and made many friends who he kept
in touch with into his retirement.
As a young boy, he always had a dog―Spot, Pal, Brownie, Toots, Sunny and many more. These last few
years have been spent with Buddy. You would often see him out walking his dog, where he would stop
and ask how things were going, and always have a story to share. These little daily interactions will be
the things we’ll miss the most― hearing one of Papajon’s many sayisms like “Do you need anything?” in
a phone call, a text, or a comment in a Facebook post.
John passed away in Cardston Alberta on September 11, 2021. He is survived by his dear wife of 52
years, Elaine Hall (Lewiski). A Son with Elaine, Anthony (Elaine) Hall. Four Daughters from a previous
marriage to Carol Hawthorne; Melody Kim Hall (Don McLachlan), Jo-Anne Carol (Ron) Secretan, Donna
Rae (Darwen) Beazer, Susan Jane (Joachim) Hengerer.
A private family service will be held in the future and people are encouraged to visit Elaine at her home
where you can share a memory of John.
John was born April 18, 1939, in Cardston Alberta to Kenneth Douglas & Tomene Hannah Hall
(Woolford). He was the oldest of 3 children having a sister Priscilla (Craig) Stutz & brother Merlin
(Maureen) Hall.
Dad was raised in a home built by his father and grandfather, John Woolford. Dad called it “the best
neighborhood ever.” There he made childhood friends that lasted a lifetime. John was very close to his
Grandparents John and Mary Woolford (Nelson) and spent most weekends and all summers at their
farm. He rode horses, herded cows and ran farm machinery. He learned to work hard, which he did all
his life. At thirteen years old, his grandfather gave him his own team of horses that allowed him to go
around hauling bundles at thrashing time.
As John was close to his grandparents, he was very close to his grandchildren. John was blessed with 14
grandchildren and 19 great grandchildren. He loved spending time with them. They have many
memories going skiing, fishing, getting driving lessons long before they had licenses, going out for
Chinese food or a milkshake, and spending summers just hanging out at his house.
Dad loved cars. He always had a nice vehicle, and it was always clean. At 15 years old, his Grandpa
Woolford helped him get his license and first car, a 1951 2 Door Plymouth that was blue and white. His
parents were concerned he was too young, but Dad felt it was “a turning point in his life”. In recent
years, you could see him driving around town in his Red Lincoln Truck, with the license plate “Papajon.”
In January 1958, he left grade 12 after one semester and went looking for work; he found a job with a
division of Calgary Power, Farm Electric. On February 12, 1958, he got a call to be in Black Diamond &
Turner Valley as soon as possible! His career with Calgary Power and TransAlta spanned over 34 years
where he was a lineman and District Manager. He enjoyed his job and made many friends who he kept
in touch with into his retirement.
As a young boy, he always had a dog―Spot, Pal, Brownie, Toots, Sunny and many more. These last few
years have been spent with Buddy. You would often see him out walking his dog, where he would stop
and ask how things were going, and always have a story to share. These little daily interactions will be
the things we’ll miss the most― hearing one of Papajon’s many sayisms like “Do you need anything?” in
a phone call, a text, or a comment in a Facebook post.
John passed away in Cardston Alberta on September 11, 2021. He is survived by his dear wife of 52
years, Elaine Hall (Lewiski). A Son with Elaine, Anthony (Elaine) Hall. Four Daughters from a previous
marriage to Carol Hawthorne; Melody Kim Hall (Don McLachlan), Jo-Anne Carol (Ron) Secretan, Donna
Rae (Darwen) Beazer, Susan Jane (Joachim) Hengerer.
A private family service will be held in the future and people are encouraged to visit Elaine at her home
where you can share a memory of John.