Obituary: Hale, Alan
Alan B. Hale, beloved husband, father and brother, passed away July 2 in his home, surrounded by his family.
A decorated fighter pilot, businessman and professor emeritus, he will leave a gap in the hearts of those who knew and loved him.
Born in Providence, UT in 1936, Alan was the eldest of seven children.
At the age of 14, Alan began his lifelong passion for flying.
While serving in the Air Force, he met and married his other lifelong passion, Kaye, and they shared the next 55 years together.
While serving in Vietnam rescuing downed pilots, Alan earned the Silver Star, Distinguished Flying Cross, and Air Medal for aerial gallantry.
During his time in the Air Force, he served with aerospace luminaries Buzz Aldrin and Dick Scoby, and attained the rank of Colonel before he retired in 1978.
Alan was a lifelong learner who held Master’s degrees in electronic engineering and Business Administration.
Following his retirement from the Air Force, he started a successful computer business, was soon purchased by a major corporation.
Subsequently hired in 1981as one of Eastern Washington University’s first computer science professors, Alan spent the next 15 years teaching computer programming and microprocessor design.
While working at EWU, Alan and his students won a NASA contract to create an onboard processing unit for the Space Shuttle program.
This project spawned the creation of his Cheney, WA company, XN Technologies, Inc. (XN).
He later sold XN Technologies, Inc. to concentrate on his new company, XN Air, which he operated at the Spokane International Airport until 2011.
Alan was a decorated war hero, test pilot, entrepreneur, and educator.
Cancer brought down this man that enemy bullets could not.
Alan is survived by his wife Mary Kaye of Cheney; son John Hale and wife Laurie Hale of Cheney; son Mark Hale and wife Jodie Hale of Cheney; son Phil Hale and wife Kathy Hale of Cheney; son Chris Hale and wife Cindy Hale of Anchorage; son Brian Hale; grandchildren Thomas and Justin Hale of Spokane; Jason Hale of Idaho Falls; Alex and Patrick Hale of Ripen, CA; Ashley, Madeline, and Jenna Hale of Colorado Springs; Codi and Gage Onda of Cheney; great-grand-daughter Mia DeMaderios of Ripen, CA; and many nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.
Alan is preceded in death by his son Steve Hale, daughter Brenda Hale, and parents Seymour and Velda Hale of Payette, ID.
Read a full obituary and sign his online guest book at http://www.cheneyfuneral.com/
A visitiation will be held on Tuesday, July 10 from 6PM-8PM at Cheney Funeral Chapel.
His service will be held at St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church, 460 North 5th Street, Cheney, WA 99004, at 11:00AM, Wednesday, July 11, 2012 with a short reception following.
A full military burial service will be held at 2:00PM at Holy Cross Cemetery, 7200 N. Wall Street, Spokane, WA 99208.
Funeral arrangements are by CHENEY FUNERAL CHAPEL, CHENEY, WA.