Hal Mudgett passed away on July 16, 2024, at the age of 93. Hal had been in declining health for 2 years after losing his vision and then his mobility. In May he was diagnosed with COVID and spent a month in the hospital, he was home for several weeks then got pneumonia and didn't have the strength to fight it.

Hal was born at home in Hannibal Wisconsin on January 11, 1931, to Walter Claude & Thalia Elizabeth Mudgett. He was the youngest of 3 boys, where they were raised on a dairy farm. He told a story about how his mother would knock the heels off of her shoes so he would have shoes to wear to school in the snow, but when he got to school he would take them off and hide them in the bushes until he went home at the end of the day. Money was very tight so he quit school after 8th grade so he could help out at home.

Hal's father was a skilled carpenter and taught him how to build things with his hands. Hal learned a great work ethic that he carried for his entire lifetime, being taught that if you wanted something you had to make it happen for yourself, and usually with your own hands. His Dad taught him to walk on a 4x4 board on the ground and told him that if he could do that, he could walk on the top of the barns like he did. Hal was only 14 years old when he started helping his dad build barns, trailers etc. Consequently Hal did not have a fear of heights; which definitely helped him later in his aircraft maintenance career. Their school didn't have a school bus, so Hal's father took an old truck that he had and made it into a school bus for the kids, these are the things that shaped the mind of a young Hal Mudgett that he carried with him his entire life.

He left home at 16 and hitch hiked across the United States and worked a few jobs along the way, eventually joining the Army to be a paratrooper, but when he went home and told his oldest brother Walter Jr., what he'd done, Walter told him to go back down to the recruiter and tell him you changed your mind and want to go into the USAF. Walter told him being a paratrooper was far too dangerous and Hal did what his brother told him to do and joined the USAF.

He was a true patriot and loved to tell his kids and grandkids about his time in the military, where he traveled the world and learned about things he would have never had the opportunity to learn had he not joined the Air Force. He went to England, Africa and many other places that he loved to talk about. Hal's military career was from 1951-1955. He was very well liked by superiors because of his ability to learn quickly and adapt, that when he was trying to leave the military they tried to talk him into making it a career. His superior wrote a letter of recommendation for Hal that said; "Airman Mudgett was assigned as crew chief of a B-47E type aircraft, and although he was the only Airman First Class serving as Crew Chief in this section, he has shown that he can better than hold his own against the maintenance records of the fourteen other crew chiefs, who are all Staff, Technical or Master Sergeants."

His last military assignment was at Castle AFB where he met Kenny Ogden. Kenny told Hal he was going home to Sanger for the weekend and asked him if he'd like to join him for his mom's good home cooking. Hal took him up on his offer and that weekend he met Kenny's sister Mary Joe, who had a newborn daughter Kristie. They fell in love and moved to Las Vegas, Nevada, where they got married and started their life together.

Hal worked for the Coca-Coca bottling company, he also drove taxi and eventually went back to what he knew, and started working at Nellis AFB as an aircraft mechanic. While in Vegas he got his private pilot's license and had many adventures flying planes, even doing some hunting from the air! One year a guy who owned property in Elko NV, told him if he came and helped him rope some of his cattle for him, he'd let him hunt for free, so of course he loved a challenge and he learned how to jump off of a horse and rope cattle. He'd always been around horses as a kid, so he was already comfortable on a horse, but jumping off and roping a cow was a new adventure and he loved it!

In 1963 they adopted a baby boy they named Danny Joe & that completed their family. In 1963 they moved back to Sanger, CA.

Hal started running a Richfield Service Station in Sanger, right across the street from the Redwood Drive-In which his in laws owned. He did that for a few years then in 1967, he decided to go back to aircraft maintenance and was offered positions in either Lemoore or Vacaville, CA.

He and Mary Joe came up to Vacaville and loved the rolling green hills after living in the desert for 9 years then central CA. and they decided to move to Vacaville.

Hal worked at Travis AFB, in civil service from 1967 until 1981 when he retired. He went on to work for Smith Engineering doing aircraft maintenance until 1987 at Travis AFB.

Hal & Mary Joe enjoyed golf and bowling and took many trips where they golfed at each stop, in fact when they shopped for new cars it always had to have a trunk big enough for 2 golf bags and their suitcases.

Hal & Mary Joe became grandparents in 1976 when Kristie & Chuck had their baby girl Erin, then in 1978 Ryan came along. Hal was very helpful to Chuck when he & Kristie bought their first house, helping Chuck pour cement, put in grass and sprinkler systems.

Hal bowled a 300 in 1976 and had many awards for his bowling abilities. They taught Erin and Ryan how to bowl and had fun on the weekends with the kids, often taking them to watch on their bowling nights.

In 1982 Chuck decided to open an automotive repair shop in Suisun, near where Chuck and Kristie lived. Hal helped finance the shop and sent many customers to Chuck's shop, in fact between Hal and Rudy Ramirez, Chuck had plenty of customers and his business grew quickly. Hal would stop by Chuck's shop after he worked all day at the base to help Chuck if he needed any or just for a visit.

In 1988 one of Hal's close friends Shelby Carroll won 25 million dollars from the lottery. Hal helped Shelby get a financial plan together and buy properties, eventually building a house and a huge shop across the street from where he lived in Allendale. Hal did all the planting & irrigation system himself and helped in the building of a new house, garage and some out buildings. He worked for Shelby for about 7 years, also enjoying trips to Reno and Tahoe to gamble with him where they treated Shelby like a high roller and Hal got to enjoy that as well, they were comped beautiful suites, with any food and drink they wished, which was fun for a couple of guys who came from humble beginnings.

Chuck & Kristie moved back to Vacaville in 1986 and Hal built a playhouse for Erin and Ryan in the backyard of their new house.

Hal & Mary Joe did a lot of traveling during these years, going to Mt. Rushmore, Yellowstone, Canada, Niagara Falls, Tahiti, Hawaii, Alaska and cruises, also going on yearly trips for many years to Palm Springs with their golf group.

In 1997 Hal & Mary Joe became Great Grandparents when Mary Doyel was born, then 2 months later Adrienne Davenport was born. Brandon Doyel was born in 2000, Bennie Doyel was born in 2004, Stevie Davenport was born in 2006, his sister Lily Davenport followed in 2007. We thought we were done, but Ryan married Sarah in 2011, and Aliina Doyel was born in 2012, followed by Warren Doyel in 2014, then the last of 9 was Charlie Davenport born on Chuck's birthday in 2016.

Danny married Katie in 2011 and Austin Mudgett was born that same year. In 2013 they moved to Tennessee hoping to further their music careers. Danny is in a band with his father-in-law Larry and they play around their town and the Nashville area. Chuck and Kristie took Hal & Mary Joe to Tennessee in 2017 to visit and stayed for about 10 days.

Hal was very active well into his late 80s, always helping friends and family and checking on his friends who had more limitations than he did. In 2019 his son in law Chuck got cancer and was very sick during 2020, Hal always lent a helping hand, often times mowing Chuck's lawn while he & Kristie were at chemo appointments. Hal was still doing his own yard work as well.

His vision started getting bad from glaucoma which eventually made him unable to see much more than shadows and light. He also lost his mobility in his last couple of years which was very hard on him. He spent a month in the hospital in May of 2024, getting out just in time for a visit from Danny and Katie on June 11th for almost a week.

During this time his son-in-law Chuck was very ill and on hospice from his cancer battle and Chuck passed away on June 23, 2024.

Hal and Chuck had a very close bond from the first time Kristie brought him home to meet her parents. On July 12th, Hal didn't feel well enough to attend Chuck's funeral and 3 days later he passed away from pneumonia.

Hal, Dad, Papa, Great Papa was a legend in our family and everyone has their own stories and memories of him that they'll always remember.

When Chuck, Kristie, John and Helen were on one a road trip to Yellowstone, they saw some very odd slanted wooden structures along the road that didn't make much sense. They looked like fences, but didn't have any sides and they were in unconnected sections, so they all decided to call and ask Hal, of course he DID know what they were-they were to keep the snow off of the roads in windy areas. That started their frequent discussion on trips of things that would come up that they wondered about and would say "Hal would know!" John said they should do a show on TV called "Let's Ask Hal!" He knew so much information about so many different things, whenever we planned a trip we'd ask him the best way to go and he'd rattle of road numbers and interstate numbers like he'd been on them yesterday just from memory! He was a very loved and special man always there with a helping hand and he will be missed.

Hal is survived by his wife Mary Joe Mudgett, his daughter Kristie Doyel, son Danny Joe Mudgett (Katie), grandson Ryan Doyel (Sarah), daughter Erin Davenport (Steve), granddaughter Tori Ferguson, grandson Austin Mudgett, great grandchildren, Mary Doyel Crabbe (Matthew) Adrienne Davenport, Brandon Doyel, Bennie Doyel, Stevie Davenport, Lily Davenport, Aliina Doyel, Warren Doyel and Charlie Davenport also bonus grandson Nathan Chalk.

He was preceded in death by his parents, both brothers Walter Jr. and John, and his son-in-law Chuck who passed away 3 weeks before Hal.

Hal's funeral service will be at 10:30 am, at Vaca Hills Chapel, 524 Elmira Road, Vacaville, CA., followed by graveside service with full military honors  at the Sacramento Valley National Cemetery, at 12:30 p.m., 5810 Midway Road, Dixon, CA.

Pallbearers are Ryan Doyel, Mary Doyel Crabbe, Matthew Crabbe, Brandon Doyel, Bennie Doyel & Stevie Davenport.