Joseph Hales Sr.

Mr Joseph Cullom Hales Sr of 664 Boulevard Colonial Heights, VA passed away on April 3, 2009. He was born in Lunenburg County, VA on November 23, 1918 to the late Ivey Peed Hales and Samuel Hales and spent part of his youth in Creedmoor, NC. He moved to Petersburg, VA and then eventually to Colonial Heights, VA. He was formerly employed by Titmus Optical, American Oil and Pepsi Cola before enlisting in the military and serving in Europe in World War II. After returning home, he went back to work at Pepsi Cola before moving on to a career in insurance with Metropolitan Life Insurance Co. He contracted polio in 1952 which left him a paraplegic. However, he overcame this disability to co-found Hales Insurance Agency in Colonial Heights in 1954 with his wife, Mary Hales. As a former member of Colonial Heights Baptist Church, he served on many committees and as a Sunday school teacher and a deacon. In later life, he moved his membership to Mount Pleasant Baptist Church in Colonial Heights. He was preceded in death last year by his wife of nearly 70 years Mary Eanes Hales, his parents Ivey Peed Hales and Samuel Hales, his siblings Ruth Justice Brown, Samuel James Hales and William Hales and two children, Harry L Hales and Ivey Jo Miller. He leaves to cherish his memory his sole surviving child, Joseph C Hales Jr and his wife Betty Lou Johnson Hales, son-in-law Robert Miller, six grandchildren (Darlene Hales Mackie, Joseph C Hales III and his wife Christine Kummer Hales, Lisa Hales Kochuba and her husband T. Gregory Kochuba, Angela Hales Berry and her husband Randy Berry, Jennifer Hales Ferguson, Kimberly Murray and Scott Miller) and ten great-grandchildren (Jordan Hales, Mallory Mackie, Katie Kochuba, Kelsey Hales, Beau Mackie, Taylor Kochuba, Christian Kochuba, Rebecca Berry, Rachel Berry and Jessica Ferguson) and numerous loving nieces, nephews and extended family, as well as fifty five years worth of devoted employees. A visitation will be held from 3-4:30 PM at Mount Pleasant Baptist Church on Sunday, April 5, 2009, located at 3110 Greenwood Avenue in Colonial Heights, VA. The funeral will be on Monday, April 6, 2009 at Mount Pleasant Baptist Church at 11 AM with a graveside service to follow at Sunset Memorial Park in Chester, VA. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to Colonial Heights Fire and EMS, PO Box 3401, Colonial Heights, VA 23834 and Crater Community Hospice, 3916 S Crater Road, Petersburg, VA 23805. Arrangements by the Colonial Heights Chapel of the E. Alvin Small Funeral Home & Crematory 2033 Boulevard. Condolences may be registered at www.ealvinsmall.com.